Coimbatore: A wild elephant that was injured by 'outtukai' is further treated inhumanely by the Forest Department as they try to drive it back into the forest forcefully instead of treating it, lament wildlife enthusiasts.
Coimbatore: A wild elephant that was injured by 'avuttukai' (country bomb) was further treated inhumanely by the Forest Department as they try to drive it back into the forest forcefully instead of treating it, lament wildlife enthusiasts.
A camp for Strike Force Commandos is located near Mangarai on the road to Anaikatti, Coimbatore in the TN-Kerala border. This camp is in place to prevent Naxal infiltration.
Meanwhile, a Makna elephant that has a mouth injury has been damaging houses in the TN-Kerala border for the past one week. The elephant's tongue was blasted with "outtukai" and its upper palate was damaged severely. Efforts to capture the elephant in the Marudamalai area on August 15 failed.
Following this, the elephant strayed into Kerala via Anaikatti on August 17. The Forest department treated the elephant in the Mannarkkad area but they also informed that it cannot live for long due to its deteriorating health and let the elephant into the forest.
Last week the elephant entered back into the TN forest area at Devarayapuram near Boluvampatti. The Forest Department has been monitoring the elephant by installing CCTV cameras and forming a special team. Meanwhile the elephant has been destroying houses in rural areas and has been eating crops. A report published by the Forest Department mentioned that the elephant had responded to fruits laced with medicines and health mixes. Meanwhile it damaged seven houses in Marudhamalai, Nanjundapuram, Varapalayam and Jambukandi Pirivu, in search of food..
While it refuses to accept the food that is placed for its consumption sometimes, the elephant wanders in search of food and gets lost and the workers have been making efforts to keep it within the forest range. However, the elephant keeps moving in its usual path towards Kerala and so its health keeps worsening. Since its entire tongue has been severed, no kind of surgery is possible, informed the authorities.
Following this, the elephant reached the Mangarai area where the Strike Force team is stationed, around 6 PM yesterday. The guards who saw the elephant burst crackers and raised sounds with the help of vehicle silencers. However, the elephant went into the kitchen and frightened the guards there. The Forest Department workers who arrived there chased the elephant back into the forest. The elephant is currently monitored bye the forest department at the Thuvaipathi Tribal Village area.
Speaking about this a forest enthusiast said, "Instead of treating the elephant, they are chasing it away with crackers. How can an elephant that was spotted three days ago in Kanuvai be blasted in the mouth with 'outtukai' at around 12.30 AM in the Chinna Jambukandi area of Anaikatti and suffer from injuries in the tongue area? How many crackers have the forest department used so far to chase the elephant from Kanuvai to Chinna Jambukandi in Anaikatti? Further, attempts are being made to chase the elephant back into the Attapadi forest range in the west. Instead of treating the elephant, they are chasing it away causing it to be more frightened. Without the aid of crackers, JCBs and electric fences elephants have co-existed with tribal people for hundreds of years. Instead of learning lessons from this, the Forest Department has started using inhumane approaches."
A camp for Strike Force Commandos is located near Mangarai on the road to Anaikatti, Coimbatore in the TN-Kerala border. This camp is in place to prevent Naxal infiltration.
Meanwhile, a Makna elephant that has a mouth injury has been damaging houses in the TN-Kerala border for the past one week. The elephant's tongue was blasted with "outtukai" and its upper palate was damaged severely. Efforts to capture the elephant in the Marudamalai area on August 15 failed.
Following this, the elephant strayed into Kerala via Anaikatti on August 17. The Forest department treated the elephant in the Mannarkkad area but they also informed that it cannot live for long due to its deteriorating health and let the elephant into the forest.
Last week the elephant entered back into the TN forest area at Devarayapuram near Boluvampatti. The Forest Department has been monitoring the elephant by installing CCTV cameras and forming a special team. Meanwhile the elephant has been destroying houses in rural areas and has been eating crops. A report published by the Forest Department mentioned that the elephant had responded to fruits laced with medicines and health mixes. Meanwhile it damaged seven houses in Marudhamalai, Nanjundapuram, Varapalayam and Jambukandi Pirivu, in search of food..
While it refuses to accept the food that is placed for its consumption sometimes, the elephant wanders in search of food and gets lost and the workers have been making efforts to keep it within the forest range. However, the elephant keeps moving in its usual path towards Kerala and so its health keeps worsening. Since its entire tongue has been severed, no kind of surgery is possible, informed the authorities.
Following this, the elephant reached the Mangarai area where the Strike Force team is stationed, around 6 PM yesterday. The guards who saw the elephant burst crackers and raised sounds with the help of vehicle silencers. However, the elephant went into the kitchen and frightened the guards there. The Forest Department workers who arrived there chased the elephant back into the forest. The elephant is currently monitored bye the forest department at the Thuvaipathi Tribal Village area.
Speaking about this a forest enthusiast said, "Instead of treating the elephant, they are chasing it away with crackers. How can an elephant that was spotted three days ago in Kanuvai be blasted in the mouth with 'outtukai' at around 12.30 AM in the Chinna Jambukandi area of Anaikatti and suffer from injuries in the tongue area? How many crackers have the forest department used so far to chase the elephant from Kanuvai to Chinna Jambukandi in Anaikatti? Further, attempts are being made to chase the elephant back into the Attapadi forest range in the west. Instead of treating the elephant, they are chasing it away causing it to be more frightened. Without the aid of crackers, JCBs and electric fences elephants have co-existed with tribal people for hundreds of years. Instead of learning lessons from this, the Forest Department has started using inhumane approaches."