Two weeks on, elephant that reached Ooty continues to explore forests around town

Two weeks after a wild elephant made its way to the upper Nilgiris, the animal continues to evade the Forest Department, moving between forest patches in Thalaiyattimund, the Ketti Valley, and most recently, Lovedale.

Two weeks after a wild elephant made its way to the upper Nilgiris, the animal continues to evade the Forest Department, moving between forest patches in Thalaiyattimund, the Ketti Valley, and most recently, Lovedale.

The elephant, believed to be a male sub-adult, had found its way to Doddabetta where it was spotted on May 5. It was chased away from the area by the Forest Department and eventually descended into the Ketti Valley, where staffers expected it to return to its home range, along the Coonoor slopes. However, a few days ago, the animal once again ascended up to Udhagamandalam town, where it was spotted near Thalaiyattimund, and has since moved into a forest patch in Lovedale, said B. Srinivasan, Forest Range Officer, Kundah Range.

Mr. Srinivasan said that the Kundah and Udhagai South Ranges are keeping tabs on the animal and are trying to steer it towards Coonoor. “We do not want to be too forceful in our efforts as the animal has shown no signs of aggression towards people, and we do not want to alter its behaviour,” said Mr. Srinivasan. He added that while there we concerns about the animal not finding enough fodder, it had been seen eating on a number of occasions and that it was healthy.

When contacted, B. Ramakrishnan, a member of the IUCN’s Asian Elephant Specialist Group and head of the department of wildlife biology at the Government Arts College, said sub-adult male elephants separate from the herds into which they were born at around 10-15 years of age. They then strike out on their own to find their own home ranges and may associate with other male elephants, said Mr. Ramakrishnan.

He said that while it was rare for an elephant to make its way to the upper Nilgiris, he suspects that the elephant in question was trying to form a home range for itself when it made its way to Doddabetta. “Especially as the animal has displayed very little aggression, it should be closely monitored and kept away from human settlements, and it will eventually go back to a more suitable habitat,” he said.