Coimbatore : While many believe that transporting problem elephants from one place to another would cause serious trauma for the animal because of the stressing procedure, the state’s first Elephant Ambulance, which stands new and shining at the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve (STR) head office offers ease of transportation during elephant emergencies.
Coimbatore : While many believe that transporting problem elephants from one place to another would cause serious trauma for the animal because of the stressing procedure, the state’s first Elephant Ambulance, which stands new and shining at the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve (STR) head office offers ease of transportation during elephant emergencies.
The 10-wheel Multi-Purpose Hydraulic Ambulance also known as the Elephant Ambulance can be used not only to transport elephants, the largest mammal on land, but also smaller mammals in case of conflict.
The idea to introduce the vehicle to the forest department was lingering along for a long time, but it took a while in implementing. The State was relying on a very few transport trucks belonging to the elephant camps in Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, Sadivayal Elephant Camp and Anamalai Tiger Reserve.
However, transportation of elephants using these vehicles was a strenuous process as it involved more man power, a makeshift ramp to help load the elephant and pushing of the elephant inside the truck using strong Kumkis.
This often turned brutal in many elephant captures, as the captured animals were injured on the body by the tusks of the Kumki elephants. The trauma caused on the animals was also high. In addition, elephants with larger tusks often damage the board between the truck’s tipper and the driver’s cabin. One can find numerous holes on the trucks caused by the elephants.
Once inside the truck, the animal is only supported by wooden logs, which causes the animal to swing violently inside the truck. Larger elephants tend to let their trunk inside the driver’s cabin at times, threatening them.
This resulted in Tamil Nadu Forest officials seeking the help of Elephant Ambulances from the Wayanad Wildlife Division in Kerala, during the capture of the famous elephant Chinnathambi from Udumalpet. The two special vehicles used by the Kerala Forest Department were ironically made in Tamil Nadu.
They provide a hydraulic pulley that can be fitted to the animal and pull it inside the vehicle. The space between the driver’s cabin and the animal is also unreachable even by an elephant’s trunk. It was successfully used in the capture of Chinnathambi.
However, according to P.G. Arunlal, District Forest Officer and Deputy Director of STR, the newly designed truck that stands in STR office has a hydraulic container fitted in the Vehicle to transport and release animals. This would ease loading and transportation of problem and injured animals like elephants to safer zones.
He further added that the Hydraulic Vehicle, which had gone through a test, was fully functional with modified automatic doors of carriage, which can be used as trapping cage for big cats like tigers and leopards.
According to sources, the detachable container would be mounted on the vehicle and is locked by a mechanism similar to that of shipper container lock system. The container further has special foldable hydraulic legs system, which allows it to detach from the vehicle chassis and manoeuvre itself to ground level for easy loading. Once the animal is loaded, it would lift the elephant above the ground and gets locked with the vehicle chassis as it slides to get a hold.
“The facility is completely animal friendly and would not cause any harm as pre-cautionary methods have been taken into care. The roof has a protective wire mesh which will ensure the safety of the transported animals. The Vehicle also stores food and medicines for the requirement of the animals,” Arunlal told the Simplicity.
The 10-wheel Multi-Purpose Hydraulic Ambulance also known as the Elephant Ambulance can be used not only to transport elephants, the largest mammal on land, but also smaller mammals in case of conflict.
The idea to introduce the vehicle to the forest department was lingering along for a long time, but it took a while in implementing. The State was relying on a very few transport trucks belonging to the elephant camps in Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, Sadivayal Elephant Camp and Anamalai Tiger Reserve.
However, transportation of elephants using these vehicles was a strenuous process as it involved more man power, a makeshift ramp to help load the elephant and pushing of the elephant inside the truck using strong Kumkis.
This often turned brutal in many elephant captures, as the captured animals were injured on the body by the tusks of the Kumki elephants. The trauma caused on the animals was also high. In addition, elephants with larger tusks often damage the board between the truck’s tipper and the driver’s cabin. One can find numerous holes on the trucks caused by the elephants.
Once inside the truck, the animal is only supported by wooden logs, which causes the animal to swing violently inside the truck. Larger elephants tend to let their trunk inside the driver’s cabin at times, threatening them.
This resulted in Tamil Nadu Forest officials seeking the help of Elephant Ambulances from the Wayanad Wildlife Division in Kerala, during the capture of the famous elephant Chinnathambi from Udumalpet. The two special vehicles used by the Kerala Forest Department were ironically made in Tamil Nadu.
They provide a hydraulic pulley that can be fitted to the animal and pull it inside the vehicle. The space between the driver’s cabin and the animal is also unreachable even by an elephant’s trunk. It was successfully used in the capture of Chinnathambi.
However, according to P.G. Arunlal, District Forest Officer and Deputy Director of STR, the newly designed truck that stands in STR office has a hydraulic container fitted in the Vehicle to transport and release animals. This would ease loading and transportation of problem and injured animals like elephants to safer zones.
He further added that the Hydraulic Vehicle, which had gone through a test, was fully functional with modified automatic doors of carriage, which can be used as trapping cage for big cats like tigers and leopards.
According to sources, the detachable container would be mounted on the vehicle and is locked by a mechanism similar to that of shipper container lock system. The container further has special foldable hydraulic legs system, which allows it to detach from the vehicle chassis and manoeuvre itself to ground level for easy loading. Once the animal is loaded, it would lift the elephant above the ground and gets locked with the vehicle chassis as it slides to get a hold.
“The facility is completely animal friendly and would not cause any harm as pre-cautionary methods have been taken into care. The roof has a protective wire mesh which will ensure the safety of the transported animals. The Vehicle also stores food and medicines for the requirement of the animals,” Arunlal told the Simplicity.