Coimbatore: The review meeting of the Thadagam red soil theft was held at Thadagam on Tuesday but ended with science and research on elephants being mocked at.
As mining of red soil continues in Thadagam, the brick kiln owners attempt bending science to satisfy their appetite of looting natural resources.
Coimbatore: The review meeting of the Thadagam red soil theft was held at Thadagam on Tuesday but ended with science and research on elephants being mocked at.
In fact, the words uttered by one of the brick kiln owners, not only belittled the outcome of the negative interactions between humans and elephants, i.e, loss of life and property but also downplayed the havoc caused by brick kilns in the region.
“The forest is lush with green cover and elephants are unable to bear the brunt of mosquitoes inside. Hence they come out of the forests. There was no elephant problem 10 years ago and brick kiln chambers have been functioning for the past 50 years,” said C R Ramachandran, one of the brick kiln owners and a former MLA. He further claimed that the forest had regenerated rapidly over the years because of the lack of fuel wood collection from the forests.
The mosquito theory that became the talk of the town this week did not go down well with activists and scientists who rubbished the claim. “We cannot walk over such words by simply calling them useless. It is important that such comments are highlighted in the public domain so that the perpetrators are exposed. They should realise that they cannot get away with their theft by pinning the onus on a fake theory,” said an activist from Thadagam.
With the brick kiln chambers blaming mosquitoes, a report filed earlier this year at the Chennai Court by veteran elephant researcher Ajay Desai, member of the Asian Elephant Specialist Group, had pinned the blame on the backs of the brick kiln chambers and their illegal red soil thefts.
“Brick kilns were a major reason for elephant intrusion into human habitation. There were two ways in which this happened. Creation of fallow agricultural areas and use of Palmyra wood as fuel source by the kilns,” stated Ajay Desai in the report. Desai went on to say in the report that farmers gave up agriculture and started selling soil to the kilns as the brick kilns thrived, adding that the excavation of soil led to the growth of grass which attracted elephants to the area and blaming the brick kilns for creating the elephant problem in the first place.
“This resulted in the attraction of elephants into a mosaic of fallow and agricultural areas resulting in increased crop raiding opportunities and deeper penetration of elephants into agricultural areas,” read the report. He further stated that due to the large number of kilns in the area and availability of huge quantities of cut and unguarded Palmyra, elephants had started moving deep into human settlements to feed on them, which has resulted in elephants entering, exploring, navigating and foraging deep into human habitation.
He had also pointed that many of the brick kilns were running without proper permit and called out for a need for regulation of the kilns. “There is a need to regulate kilns in terms of their permissions, pollution and water extraction as all have an impact on forest, wildlife and local people,” reported Desai on solutions to reduce negative interactions between humans and elephants during the case involving Chinnathambi, who was captured from Thadagam.
While the report completely brushes aside the theory of the mosquitoes, scientists too have showed indifference toward the statements. Senior ecologist and former Dean of Wildlife Institute of India, AJT. Johnsingh said that mosquitoes cannot trouble elephants to the extent of driving them out of the forests. “Elephants can be troubled by Tabanus Horse flies, but not mosquitoes,” he added.
“I cannot imagine there is any truth in the theory. If he does not live there, how can he speak about mosquitoes?” questioned Tarsh Thekaekara, founder of the Shola Trust which is working on conserving the elephants in Gudalur and the entire Nilgris region. He added that he had not heard of such a theory anywhere in his experience. However, he pointed out that field staff of the region should be quizzed to check the facts.
When Simplicity enquired the APWs working in Coimbatore Range about the issue, they denied it bluntly without much thought.
Coimbatore: The review meeting of the Thadagam red soil theft was held at Thadagam on Tuesday but ended with science and research on elephants being mocked at.
In fact, the words uttered by one of the brick kiln owners, not only belittled the outcome of the negative interactions between humans and elephants, i.e, loss of life and property but also downplayed the havoc caused by brick kilns in the region.
“The forest is lush with green cover and elephants are unable to bear the brunt of mosquitoes inside. Hence they come out of the forests. There was no elephant problem 10 years ago and brick kiln chambers have been functioning for the past 50 years,” said C R Ramachandran, one of the brick kiln owners and a former MLA. He further claimed that the forest had regenerated rapidly over the years because of the lack of fuel wood collection from the forests.
The mosquito theory that became the talk of the town this week did not go down well with activists and scientists who rubbished the claim. “We cannot walk over such words by simply calling them useless. It is important that such comments are highlighted in the public domain so that the perpetrators are exposed. They should realise that they cannot get away with their theft by pinning the onus on a fake theory,” said an activist from Thadagam.
With the brick kiln chambers blaming mosquitoes, a report filed earlier this year at the Chennai Court by veteran elephant researcher Ajay Desai, member of the Asian Elephant Specialist Group, had pinned the blame on the backs of the brick kiln chambers and their illegal red soil thefts.
“Brick kilns were a major reason for elephant intrusion into human habitation. There were two ways in which this happened. Creation of fallow agricultural areas and use of Palmyra wood as fuel source by the kilns,” stated Ajay Desai in the report. Desai went on to say in the report that farmers gave up agriculture and started selling soil to the kilns as the brick kilns thrived, adding that the excavation of soil led to the growth of grass which attracted elephants to the area and blaming the brick kilns for creating the elephant problem in the first place.
“This resulted in the attraction of elephants into a mosaic of fallow and agricultural areas resulting in increased crop raiding opportunities and deeper penetration of elephants into agricultural areas,” read the report. He further stated that due to the large number of kilns in the area and availability of huge quantities of cut and unguarded Palmyra, elephants had started moving deep into human settlements to feed on them, which has resulted in elephants entering, exploring, navigating and foraging deep into human habitation.
He had also pointed that many of the brick kilns were running without proper permit and called out for a need for regulation of the kilns. “There is a need to regulate kilns in terms of their permissions, pollution and water extraction as all have an impact on forest, wildlife and local people,” reported Desai on solutions to reduce negative interactions between humans and elephants during the case involving Chinnathambi, who was captured from Thadagam.
While the report completely brushes aside the theory of the mosquitoes, scientists too have showed indifference toward the statements. Senior ecologist and former Dean of Wildlife Institute of India, AJT. Johnsingh said that mosquitoes cannot trouble elephants to the extent of driving them out of the forests. “Elephants can be troubled by Tabanus Horse flies, but not mosquitoes,” he added.
“I cannot imagine there is any truth in the theory. If he does not live there, how can he speak about mosquitoes?” questioned Tarsh Thekaekara, founder of the Shola Trust which is working on conserving the elephants in Gudalur and the entire Nilgris region. He added that he had not heard of such a theory anywhere in his experience. However, he pointed out that field staff of the region should be quizzed to check the facts.
When Simplicity enquired the APWs working in Coimbatore Range about the issue, they denied it bluntly without much thought.