Chennai, Dec 7 (IANS): Villagers of Gudallur district of Tamil Nadu on Saturday called on the Tamil Nadu Forest Department to take immediate action to drive away a herd of wild elephants camping in a forest area just 2 km away from residential zones.

M. Lokanathan, a farmer in Gudalur, told IANS, “A herd of more than ten elephants is camping in the forest area, which is barely 2 km from our homes. We urge the forest department to act immediately to drive away these elephants.”

The villagers report that the elephants frequently raid agricultural farms and banana plantations, causing extensive damage to crops.

In a recent incident on Friday, a wild tusker reached a residential area and attacked the house of Suresh, a farmer in Puliyamvayal, Gudalur.

Suresh and his pregnant wife had a miraculous escape though the elephant destroyed their house.

According to Gudalur range forest officials, Suresh opened his door after hearing noises, only to find the wild tusker outside. He and his wife fled through the back door, but the elephant demolished their house and belongings.

The previous night, a herd of wild elephants emerged from the forest and destroyed houses in the Allurvayal area of Gudalur district.

Villagers have demanded that the forest department implement preventive measures such as digging trenches and erecting solar fences to prevent wild elephant intrusions.

In another instance, a herd of eight elephants has been camping in Thailathoppu, just 2 km from the forest area.

Meanwhile, farmers in the Denkanikottai locality of Krishnagiri district have also urged the forest department to drive elephants back into the forest.

Tamil Nadu has recorded 256 deaths due to wild elephant attacks in the past five years.

Many people have been injured or incapacitated due to random attacks, particularly in areas adjacent to forests.

The Environment Ministry has issued guidelines to states and Union Territories to manage human-wildlife conflicts, including damage to crops.

These guidelines advocate for cultivating crops that are unpalatable to wild animals in forest fringe areas.

Farmers are encouraged to adopt agroforestry models using cash crops like chillies, lemongrass, and khus grass, mixed with trees and shrubs.

A Tamil Nadu government-constituted committee has identified 42 elephant corridors in the state and invited public comments on its draft report.

This number is significantly higher than the 20 corridors listed in 2023 by the Project Elephant division of the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change (MoEFCC).

The Elephant Corridor Committee, chaired by V. Naganathan, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife), conducted a reassessment through literature surveys, ground validation, and mapping.

The report highlights that human-elephant conflicts are prevalent across 20 forest divisions in Tamil Nadu, with Coimbatore, Gudalur, Hosur, and the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve experiencing severe conflicts.

The 2017 synchronised pachyderm census recorded 2,761 elephants across 26 forest divisions in Tamil Nadu. The 2023 census reported a slight increase, estimating 2,961 elephants across 20 of the 26 forest divisions, covering 9,217.13 sq. km.