near Bhavanisagar dam

 15 year old female elephant stuck in a mud-pit near Bhavanisagar dam in Erode district, on Friday.
It was rescued by forest officials and villagersafter a four hour effort.

Times of india   Saturday April 22, 2017

Search for new pastures

3 elephants entered the Pannavadi near Mettur dam in search of food and water on Wednesday evening.

Forest officials said the animals have strayed into Mettur for the first time.

Times of India   Friday   April 14, 2017. 

Out on a stroll

Kozhipalam area, Gudalur town:

A jumbo and it's calf were out on a stroll when the baby stepped on the asbestos roof of a house, below road level.

The roof gave away and the calf vanished right in front of the horrified mother. 

"The mother elephant broke open the back door of the house and pulled out it's calf," said a forest official.

Times of India

Friday   April 21,  2017  

Elephant attack

A man was killed and 2 women workers were injured in 2 separate incidents of elephant attack in Gudalur division of forests in the Nilgiris.

The Manjushree estate is spread across 600 acres.
The estate is located adjacent to the reserve forest area in the O'valley range.

Times of India      March 9,   2017

electrocuted elephant

Post mortem reports concluded that the 30 year old male elephant did not die of suffocation - after it fell into an elephant proof trench.

It was electrocuted in Nellidurai area in Mettupalayam forest range - early on Sunday morning.

TOI, Chennai   Monday November 27, 2017. 

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.