Nilgiris : With tusker Vinayakan finally free of the radio collar that was around his neck, officials of the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR) have decided not to radio collar him again since the animal is peacefully roaming within the forested landscape.
Nilgiris : With tusker Vinayakan finally free of the radio collar that was around his neck, officials of the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR) have decided not to radio collar him again since the animal is peacefully roaming within the forested landscape.
Speaking to Simplicity, K K Kaushal, the Field Director of MTR said that it was unnecessary to repeat the entire process all over again since the tusker is in a controlled environment. "It was radio collared in Coimbatore because that was a special case. The animal was termed problematic and it became imperative to monitor its movements. Hence it had to be fitted with the radio collar in the first place. It is not required now,” he reiterated. He further added that the collar could have loosened when the animal had tried rubbing himself against a tree. "It has been two to three weeks now since the collar detached and the animal is well-settled. There is no more trouble,” he informed.
According to forest officials, the animal was in musth condition and was at the peak of its growth when it was fitted with a radio collar. The collar was also tied tightly around the neck, which could have loosened when the animal had shed a few kilos in recent times. “It was expected, considering the new location. There are fewer chances for crop raiding and the tusker's movements have increased largely making him fitter than before. He was almost in an obese condition when trapped in Coimbatore. Such things are common,” claimed a source.
Speaking to Simplicity, K K Kaushal, the Field Director of MTR said that it was unnecessary to repeat the entire process all over again since the tusker is in a controlled environment. "It was radio collared in Coimbatore because that was a special case. The animal was termed problematic and it became imperative to monitor its movements. Hence it had to be fitted with the radio collar in the first place. It is not required now,” he reiterated. He further added that the collar could have loosened when the animal had tried rubbing himself against a tree. "It has been two to three weeks now since the collar detached and the animal is well-settled. There is no more trouble,” he informed.
According to forest officials, the animal was in musth condition and was at the peak of its growth when it was fitted with a radio collar. The collar was also tied tightly around the neck, which could have loosened when the animal had shed a few kilos in recent times. “It was expected, considering the new location. There are fewer chances for crop raiding and the tusker's movements have increased largely making him fitter than before. He was almost in an obese condition when trapped in Coimbatore. Such things are common,” claimed a source.