Coimbatore: Since the movement of vehicles on roads has reduced due to the lockdown, wild animals have begun to stray on the roads near Mettupalayam.
Coimbatore: Since the movement of vehicles on roads has reduced due to the lockdown, wild animals have begun to stray on the roads near Mettupalayam.
People from Coimbatore, either use the Coonoor or Kotagiri route to reach Ooty. Both the roads are normally busy with traffic, caused by tourists and vehicles carrying vegetables and fruits produced in Nilgiris to various districts and neighboring states. Hence the wild animals normally do not venture out from the dense forests and cannot be seen often along the roadsides.
But due to the current lockdown, traffic in these forests has been reduced by 90 percent. Only a few vegetable trucks are allowed to move during specific timings.
As the roads are deserted, wild animals including elephants are now seen roaming in the roads near Mettupalayam without any fear. Herds of elephants are seen camping at the first hairpin bend in the Kotagiri route and are found to enjoy eating from the trees along the road. Then the elephants drink water from the tanks set up in the forest near the roads by the Forest Department and later rest in the shades before leaving.
The forest department officials commented that the reduction in the number of vehicles has led to the wildlife coming to the roads from the dense forests.