Forest department initiates SMS alerts to provide real time information on movement of elephants in Hosur

Forest department of Hosur forest division has initiated SMS alerts on the movement of elephants to avert destructive interplay between people and elephants.
| Photo Credit: N. Bashkaran

The Forest Department has launched an SMS alert system to cross on real time information on the movement of elephants in Hosur forest division. The transfer comes in the wake of rising incidents of destructive interplay between people and elephants, with probably the most current demise of a person after a tusker assault final Sunday.

According to the forest department, all seven forest ranges of Hosur Forest division have widespread movement of elephants. It referred to as for elevated warning. Hence, the Forest Department has began collating telephone numbers of residents of the forest fringe villages to provide real time information on the movement of elephants. 

The migration of elephant herds begins in October from Bannerghatta National Park contiguous with the Cauvery North Wild Life Sanctuary. Over 125 to 150 elephants, begin migrating, whereas some herds, in accordance to the Forest department, begin shifting by way of Thally and Jawalagiri reserve forests and cross by way of Denkanikottai, Noganur Udedurgam, Sanamavu, Settipalli and Maharajakadai reserve forests and attain Kaundinya Wildlife Sanctuary and Sri Venkateshwara National Park.

This movement of herds of Hosur division in direction of Shoolagiri, Krishnagiri to attain Andhra Pradesh is fraught with destructive interplay with people on condition that the fragmented nature of forest patches alongside this route. The forest patches largely fragmented alongside this route offers the elephants resting time in the course of the day throughout the forest segments and permit for crop raids at nights inflicting destructive interplay. 

According to the forest department sources, as of date, the forest watchers and anti-depradation squads are monitoring the movement of the herds. However, SMS alerts to the general public in Tamil are anticipated to provide real time information on the movement some of elephants that stray away from the herd and go rogue on farmlands.  

The forest department has additionally referred to as upon farmers and residents, who haven’t given their cell phone numbers to the native forest watchers to instantly contact the forest employees and register their numbers for SMS alerts.