drones chase wildlife

Coimbatore forest division has seven ranges - Madukkarai, Boluvampatti, Coimbatore, Periyanaickenpalayam, Karamadai, Mettupalayam and Sirumugai.

Man- animal conflicts are commonly reported in all seven.
Forest department tested  a drone for half an hour at Solakkarai, at madukkarai forest range in March 2017.

And on Friday November 24, plans were announced to use camera drones that buzz and chase elephants in Coimbatore forest range.

T O I,    Saturday   November 25, 2017. 

surprising laxity

'The project will be wrapped up in 2019.
Begun in 2011, it has not realised it's objectives', say forest officials.

The officials have not submitted a mid-term annual review on the progress made.
Japan International Cooperation Agency - JICA - may not sponsor the second phase.

No official info is available on this - there is no transparency.
The laxity may result in 600 officials in the ranks of 'foresters' losing their job.

- TOI, Chennai  - November 24, 2017. 

wetlands under Ramsar Convention

New rules notified by the environment ministry on Tuesday, September 26, 2017, decentralise wetlands management  by empowering States

1. to identify and notify wetlands under their jurisdiction,
2. to keep a watch on prohibited activities.

The Centre's role under the Wetlands conservation and Management rules, 2017, will be restricted to

1.  monitoring it's implementation by States, Union Territories,
2.  recommending transboundary wetlands for notification and
3.  reviewing integrated management of selected wetlands under Ramsar Convention.

 -  Centre Decentralises Wetlands management. 
    Times Of India, September 28, 2017.

Narsipur - yog centre road

A 50 year old woman farm worker was trampled to death by a wild elephant near Pattiyarkovilpatti village on the Narsipuram - isha yoga centre road on Tuesday.

Sarada had arrived in Pattiyarkovilpatti along with her family, over a week ago to harvest small onions from a field near the village.

Sarada had gone to attend nature's call around 6.45 am.
Her daughter-in-law heard an elephant trumpet, went in search and found the mangled body.

"We had warned the villagers not to venture out in the fields before 8 am, as there were lot of elephants in the area," an official said.

Wild elephant tramples woman farm worker 
Times Of India,  Wednesday, August 23, 2017

International community taken for a ride?

Supreme Court warned that it would put the environment secretary behind bars, if the government failed to give a road map within a week, for conservation of wetlands.

The court said, government was not keen on conserving wetlands.

The bench noted that although the government talked about it's commitment to the Paris Accord on climate change, it was not concerned about environment protection in the country.

"You have taken us for a ride and made the proceedings a joke.
You are a signatory to the 1971 International Convention on Wetlands. 
You are bound to frame a policy for their preservation.
How will you face the international community?
What will you tell them about it's implementation?" , the Court asked. 
And slapped a fine of Rs. 50, 000.

Amit Anand Choudhary
The Times Of India, July 14, 2017

by acquiring land

The Supreme Court on Friday told the Federal government to consider making 27 high priority elephant corridors - in nine member states - human-free by acquiring land.

The Court told the Federation that, it must examine the suggestion thoroughly, before filing its response.

August 5  2017, The Times of India, Chennai

sick jumbo stuck in pond

Tribals in Palamalai heard continuous trumpeting of elephants.
An elephant was noticed lying in a pond.
Forest ranger Palaniraja's team found that the elephant was unable to stand up on it's own.
A JCB was brought to the spot.
The lactating mother was found fatigued;after it got stuck in the slush, in the previous night.

The animal was administered drugs, antibiotics, vitamin and energy boosters, besides being fed with fruits.
Manoharan, the vet administered 50 units of glucose and 20 injections.
Hundreds of worms were found in it's dung.

After 3 hours of struggle, it slowly got onto it's feet and ambled away into the woods, with it's calf.

Sick jumbo stuck in pond, April 1, Coimbatore. 
Deccan Chronicle, Sunday April 2, 2017.  Page 5.