Age Tires Jawadhu Hills Vigilante

By J Shanmugha Sundaram

Published: 28th Jun 2015 06:00:00 AM

http://epaper.newindianexpress.com/530432/The-Sunday-Standard/28-06-2015#page/11/1

VELLORE:An aged tusker, separated from its herd three years ago in Jawadhu Hills in the Western Ghats, is keeping trespassers to the reserve forest at bay despite its movement being restricted and its diminishing eyesight.

A file photo of the lone elephant

Officials say it protects the forest area as humans fear stepping into the woods due to its presence. The tusker, aged around 50 years, confines its movement between the Ambur Range and Jamunamaruthur Range ever since it was isolated from its herd in 2012.

“Now, it is moving around five to six km per day and moving slowly due to age-related problems. Its eyesight has also been affected,” said a senior forest official.

The elephant was last seen in the Ambur Range 10 days ago. “There is no history of this tusker hurting people, but it has at times blocked vehicles transporting vegetables along the Alangayam-Odugathur Road and eaten some of the vegetables. Regular passersby wait for him to move and then proceed,” said the official.

The aged pachyderm migrated into Jawadhu Hills from its original habitat in Rayakotta in 1988. It was a  young adult then and part of a 13-member herd. Work on the National Highway 46 destroyed the elephant corridor between Ambur and Pernambur area and cut off the herd from its original habitat.

While the lone tusker remained deep inside Jawadhu Hills, the rest of the herd migrated to Tiruvannamalai.

“The herd remained inside the forest till 2008. Depletion of food and water forced the herd to stray into human habitation,” said a forest official, adding an elephant needs around 250 to 300 litres of water and 200kg of food per day and Jawadhu Hills is not fit to be a long-term home these mammals.

To keep human-animal conflicts in check, the government translocated the herd after tranquilising them. However, the Rs 73 lakh project, named ‘Operation Malai’ managed to translocate only six elephants, leaving the one tusker to wander alone in Jawadhu Hills. A couple of elephants were electrocuted and a few more died of natural causes.

“Now the lone elephant in Jawadhu Hills is called ‘othai yanai’ (single elephant), or the lone ranger,” said the forest official.

Forest officials are worried about its health and said it was expected to survive a few more years only. Once it stops breathing, the Jawadhu Hills will never see such a majestic creature again, they said.

“It will have a negative impact on the ecology of the Jawadhu Hills, which was once a campaigning place for elephant herds,” said the forest official.