Ground-truthing of elephant corridors begins in Tamil Nadu

Exercise aims at identifying threats to corridors, says official

As part of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC)‘s efforts to identify and protect elephant corridors across India, a senior official from the Project Elephant Division of the Ministry has started a ‘ground-truthing’ exercise in Tamil Nadu.

Prajna P. Panda, National Coordinator, Elephant Cell, Project Elephant, inspected elephant corridors in Coimbatore district on Thursday as part of the official’s visit to different corridors and prominent elephant pathways between June 15 and 20.

Ms. Panda, along with D. Boominathan from the WWF-India and Forest Department officials, visited Kallar and Anaikatti north–south corridors on Thursday. The official also visited tribal settlements, including Panappalli and interacted with locals.

Sources in the know of the visit said Ms. Panda would also cover other corridors such as Tali–Bilikkal and Bilikkal–Javalagiri in Hosur; Kalhatti–Sigur at Glencorin; Avarahalla–Sigur; Kalmalai–Singara and Avarahalla; Moyar–Avarahalla; Mudumalai– Nilambur via O’ Valley; Thengumarahada; and Mukurthi–Mudumalai in the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve.

Chamarajnagar–Thalamalai at Muddahalli and Tamalai–Guttiyalattur corridors in the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve, Poonachi, Waterfalls estate, the area between Siluvaimedu–Kadamparai and Vazhachal–Anamalai via Sholayar in theAnamalai Tiger Reserve, were also among places to be visited by the official.

A senior official from the Forest Department said the MoEFCC was keen on securing and protecting elephant corridors across the country and Tamil Nadu would offer its full support to the team deputed by Project Elephant Division. The Wildlife Trust of India in its different editions of ‘Right of Passage’ has listed out elephant corridors in India, which were identified jointly with the MoEFCC. The exercise by the Project Elephant Division team is expected to find out the present status of these corridors, threats and other emerging challenges, the official said.