Translocated makhna explores Chinna Kallar forests, roams 85 km in three weeks

A makhna that was translocated from Saralapathi near Pollachi is exploring its new terrain in Chinna Kallar near Valparai. The Forest Department is monitoring its movement using a radio-collar. The animal is healthy and exhibiting typical elephant behaviour. It has not mingled with any herd yet.

The makhna (a tuskless male elephant) that was captured and translocated from a village near Pollachi on July 31 has adapted itself to the new terrain at Chinna Kallar near Valparai, according to the Forest Department. 

This is the third translocation of the elephant and it has traversed a total of about 85 km in the past three weeks across the Chinna Kallar forests. The Department is monitoring the movement of the elephant with its radio-collar, which emits a signal every hour. 

Bhargava Teja, Deputy Director of Pollachi Division of the Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR), told The Hindu that the elephant was stationed near the Nirar reservoir as on Monday. “The animal is feeding well and we are monitoring it daily. It is very healthy,” he said.

According to him, the makhna was exhibiting the typical elephant behaviour of exploring the terrain. Staff members were monitoring it and preventing it from moving out of the reserve forest. 

The radio collar used to emit a signal every 30 minutes after the elephant was released in the Chinna Kallar forests. With the animal not making attempts to move out of the forests, the Department changed the settings of the GPS-based radio collar so that signal is emitted every hour.

Mr. Teja added that the elephant was roaming alone and it had not mingled with any herd so far in the new terrain.

The makhna was captured at Saralapathi, around 20 km from Pollachi, where it had been damaging crops since April this year. It was first translocated from Dharmapuri district to ATR on February 5 this year and later to another location of ATR on February 23, after it travelled around 100 km and reached Perur near Coimbatore.