Coimbatore: A slew of mysterious deaths of animals, elephants in particular, need to be investigated and accounted for to the public, insist environmental enthusiasts.
Coimbatore: A slew of mysterious deaths of animals, elephants in particular, need to be investigated and accounted for to the public, insist environmental enthusiasts.
Coimbatore is not just an industrial district but a beautiful one too due its close proximity to the Western Ghats. The forest areas in the district teem with lots of flora and fauna and are the pride of wild life enthusiasts all over.
This being the case, the deaths of elephants that have been reported almost every other day over the past month or two have become a cause of concern for wildlife enthusiasts. According to Forest Department personnel, 14 elephants have passed away over the last six months. However, the reasons for the majority of the deaths are still unknown.
We spoke to Kovai Sadasivam, a writer who specializes in environmental subjects. He said, "It is true that 13 elephants have died in the past three months. Farming has gone past the pathways of the elephants and has gone up to the core zone.
To prevent wildlife from entering into the fields, just not elephants, a lot of harm is being inflicted on them. The duty of finding the facts concerning the elephant deaths and relaying them to the public lies with the Forest department. However, the department deems this is unnecessary."
"If an elephant dies, the forest department will get to know about the demise in a couple of days. Then, in consultation with many volunteering organisations, they analyse the incident and identify the problem. This is the process that is done currently. However, the deaths of animals, whatever they may be, raise a lot of suspicions.
An in-depth analysis needs to be done. With shrinking forests and wildlife and hundreds of acres in the foothill regions occupied, and even encroached in some cases, for farming, the owners of these farms poison wild animals with the help of mercenaries," he lambasted.
He accused, "These hired men are not strangers, they are tribals and people in the lower rungs of the society. When a problem arises, the big gun owners usually pass the blame to these men and escape unscathed."
He added, "There is another question too. Whether the developmental activities being undertaken in the Western Ghats are being detrimental to the welfare of the wildlife? It must be remembered that the Western Ghats that act as the source of water for three districts are not just losing elephants, but are losing the forests too. The deaths of elephants must be accounted for by appointing a special committee which has to do proper research and unearth the details."
To know more about the matter, we spoke to wildlife enthusiast Ramamurthy. He said, "So far as the deaths of multiple elephants in the Mettupalayam, Sirumugai forest area go, lack of distancing between the forests and the farm, planting cash crops as opposed to traditional crops and use of artificial pesticides are the main reasons.
The agricultural lands on the foothills of the mountains and the borders of the forests mostly belong to affluent men. There are many hindrances to the elephants such as lack of food and ill health. When cultivation of cash crops began in these areas, the livelihood of wildlife became a question.
Each day, an elephant consumes 120 litres of water and eats more than 150 Kg of food. Further they walk 22 to 35 km a day to protect their habitat and the forest. Their habitat has been converted into brick kilns, educational institutions, religious centers and luxury resorts causing a huge imbalance in their ecosystem."
He also pointed out that owning a gun without a license is a crime. "Why do farmers need guns?", he questioned.