Chennai, Jan 26 (IANS): Forest officials of Tamil Nadu's Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR) have used bio-repellents to prevent the intrusion of wild elephants into human settlements, thus reducing the number of jumbo attacks.

Since December 2021, officials of ATR have mixed bio-repellent in water and sprayed the mixture around residences and shops in Mudis estate, TANTEA, Sangali road, and Urulikkal.

The forest officials said that the bio-repellent was extracted from a plant and was much harmless but still effective against the elephants.

The elephants, according to ATR officials, can sense its smell from as far as one and half kilometers away and stay away from human settlements.

A senior officer of the Tamil Nadu Forest Department based at Anamalai told IANS that the number of elephant attacks has reduced since the use of the bio-repellent.

According to him, the movement of around 200 elephants were recorded in 2020- 21 but it has come down to 140-150 elephant intrusions in the corresponding period from 2021-22 so far.

Studies conducted by the Forest Department have found that most of these elephants have gone inside to Tamil Nadu- Kerala forests from the Valpara plateau areas.