Forest department initiates SMS alerts to provide real time information on movement of elephants in Hosur

The Forest Department in Krishnagiri district has launched an SMS alert system to pass on real time information on the movement of elephants in Hosur forest division. The move comes in the wake of increasing incidents of negative interaction between humans and elephants, with the most recent death of a man after a tusker attack last Sunday.

The Forest Department has launched an SMS alert system to pass on real time information on the movement of elephants in Hosur forest division. The move comes in the wake of increasing incidents of negative interaction between humans and elephants, with the most recent death of a man after a tusker attack last Sunday.

According to the forest department, all seven forest ranges of Hosur Forest division have widespread movement of elephants. It called for increased caution. Hence, the Forest Department has started collating phone numbers of residents of the forest fringe villages to provide real time information on the movement of elephants. 

The migration of elephant herds starts in October from Bannerghatta National Park contiguous with the Cauvery North Wild Life Sanctuary. Over 125 to 150 elephants, start migrating, while some herds, according to the Forest department, start moving through Thally and Jawalagiri reserve forests and pass via Denkanikottai, Noganur Udedurgam, Sanamavu, Settipalli and Maharajakadai reserve forests and reach Kaundinya Wildlife Sanctuary and Sri Venkateshwara National Park.

This movement of herds of Hosur division towards Shoolagiri, Krishnagiri to reach Andhra Pradesh is fraught with negative interaction with humans given that the fragmented nature of forest patches along this route. The forest patches largely fragmented along this route gives the elephants resting time during the day within the forest segments and allow for crop raids at nights causing negative interaction. 

According to the forest department sources, as of date, the forest watchers and anti-depradation squads are monitoring the movement of the herds. However, SMS alerts to the public in Tamil are anticipated to provide real time information on the movement some of elephants that stray away from the herd and go rogue on farmlands.  

The forest department has also called upon farmers and residents, who have not given their mobile phone numbers to the local forest watchers to immediately contact the forest staff and register their numbers for SMS alerts.