Chennai, Dec 23 : The Tamil Nadu Forest Department has deployed two 'Kumki' elephants from the Mudumalai Elephant Camp to handle a wild tusker that continues to damage human settlements in the Nilgiris. The tusker, nicknamed 'Bullet' by locals, has caused significant destruction in the tea estates of Nilgiris.

Mannan R. (45), a tea estate worker in Cherambadi, Nilgiris, shared his harrowing experience with IANS. He said, 'The wild tusker Bullet has damaged several houses in our locality. We narrowly escaped an attack on Saturday. The elephant damaged seven houses and broke down the doors of many homes.'

Mannan added that household items, including television sets, were destroyed in the attack.

To address the situation, the forest department has deployed two trained 'Kumki' elephants, Bomman and Srinivasan, to drive the wild tusker back into the forest. Five forest department teams are monitoring the elephant's movements, using drones for surveillance.

The forest department plans to deploy thermal drones for night-time tracking of wild elephants to prevent them from entering human settlements.

Officials believe these drones will allow forest staff to monitor elephant movements from a safe distance and alert residents in advance. In addition to thermal drones, forest department vehicles equipped with Bluetooth-connected speakers will make announcements and emit loud noises to drive the elephants back into the forest.

A senior officer stated that several companies have demonstrated drone operations, and the department is in the process of finalizing a vendor. Currently, this technology is being implemented in the Hosur Forest Division, where it has shown promising results.

The department is also considering procuring AI-enabled cameras to further monitor elephant movements and reduce human-animal conflicts.

Human-elephant conflicts remain a pressing issue in Tamil Nadu. According to the data presented in the Lok Sabha, 256 people have died due to such conflicts over the past five years in Tamil Nadu, including 61 deaths in 2023-24 alone.

For instance, on December 17, a man named Chandran (62) succumbed to injuries sustained during an elephant attack at the Gajam Mudi Estate in Valparai. The incident, which occurred on November 10, injured four others.

The synchronized elephant census conducted in May 2024, in collaboration with Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh, recorded a population of 3,063 wild elephants in Tamil Nadu. This marks an increase of over 100 elephants compared to the previous census in 2023.

The state's forests can sustain an elephant population of approximately 3,000 to 3,500. Officials have confirmed that the current population is stable and healthy.

The Nilgiri Elephant Reserve and Coimbatore Elephant Reserve have the highest density of elephants among the five reserves in the state. With the introduction of thermal drones, AI-enabled cameras, and other measures, the Forest Department aims to reduce human-elephant conflicts and ensure the safety of both humans and wildlife.

/IANS