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- From meticulous planning to execution, a recently concluded successful operation to capture an elephant called Pandalur Makhna-2, or PM2, in the picturesque Nilgiris has turned the spotlight on the Tamil Nadu Forest Department’s excellent recent track record in safely capturing “problem” elephants from the wild and relocating them to areas where they will have fewer conflicts with human beings.
- No doubt, the long-drawn-out operation to capture PM2 in Gudalur was criticised by some residents frustrated with the time it took for the Forest Department to deal with the elephant.
- However, officials explain that a number of factors, centred on ensuring the safety of the elephant as well as that of the Forest Department staff and residents, are kept in mind before an elephant is tranquillised.
- “Gudalur and Pandalur are extremely challenging environments for an operation to be undertaken due to the topography of the landscape.
- The safety of the animal is of paramount importance, while post-darting procedures to reach the animal quickly and get it ready for transportation means that the darting procedure can only be done in a few pre-determined locations,” explained a senior Forest Department official, who was involved in the operation.
- Explaining the challenges associated with capturing PM2, Conservator of Forests, D. Venkatesh, said the animal, which is alleged to have damaged around 78 mud houses in the past two years, had become extremely attuned to humans and the workings of the Forest Department.
- “The moment the animal hears the sounds of approaching forest vehicles and staff, it moves away into the forests,” he said.
- The operation to capture an elephant requires meticulous planning and coordination to pull off, with the animal having to be identified and its behaviour studied.
Various factors
- “It’s home range, health condition, the ideal locations where it can be darted safely, the approach to the animal post-darting, are all factored in during an operation,” Dr.Kalaivanan said.
- “This is why kumki elephants and elephant camps are so crucial, as without them or the elephant men, the only solution to deal with ‘problem’ elephants like PM2 would be to cull them,” he added.
- Tracking teams, darting teams, management teams and release teams all have a crucial role to play during an operation and its success is dependent on coordination of the teams. The Forest Department also used drones to track PM2 and hone in on his location.
- “Each operation is different, and the time period varies depending on the animal. For instance, in Coimbatore, the order to capture two elephants, Vinayaga and ChinnaThambi, was passed together, and while it took only a day to capture Vinayaga, it took 48 days to capture the latter,” Mr. Venkatesh said.
SOURCE: THE HINDU, THE ECONOMIC TIMES, PIB
