Save Chinnathambi and return the forests to the elephants
Save Chinnathambi and return the forests to the elephants
The Issue
Over the last few months areas around Coimbatore district have been heavily infested with human encroachment induced conflict with elephants, especially the Thadagam area. This problem has cropped up relatively recently as till around ten years back there were not these many incidents of elephant habitat loss.The Nilgiri mountain ranges including the Anamalai, Mudhumalai hills and the remote areas of the Coimbatore district have been elephant corridors since ages. These paths are getting slowly encroached over the last 10-15 years. Resorts, Ashrams, Colleges, Schools, Government institutions have been built, there by fragmenting the elephant corridor. Cultivation and brick kilns have also been coming up changing the topography of this area drastically. Brick kilns seem to be mushrooming much more than the permitted number. Where 20-30 were supposed to function around 200 odd kilns have come up and the mud for these brick factories is being taken from the elephant migratory paths. All this put together has surmounted into a huge habitat crisis for the elephants. Now they are at a risk of completely losing their habitat. What is unfortunate is, human beings do not seem to understand that if elephants lose their forests then human beings will lose out on the essential elements for our survival like rain, oxygen and clean air.
Of all the elephants impacted Vinayagan and Chinnathambi became quite popular as they were repeatedly returning to cultivation areas and villages. But these two have so far been gentle giants not harming human life. Vinayagan has been tanslocated to Mudhumalai Tiger Reserve on 18 Dec 2018. Vinayagan's capture and translocation happened smoothly unlike Chinnathambi. Chinnathambi's capture which happened on 26 Jan 2019 itself was time taking and strenuous as there was a female elephant and a calf along with him. Chinnathambi put up a good restraint before surrendering to the Kumkis. In this process his tusks were damaged and he endured injuries in his back due to the Kumkis pushing him from behind. He was translocated to Top slip forest area. In his absence the female elephant and the calf were seen roaming around searching for him. Just two days after his translocation he returned back to Kottur village. Since then he has been on the walk as he is continuously being chased.
This petition is not just about Chinnathambi who has become the symbol of the man-animal conflict situation in TN. This petition intends to gain a permanent solution for the problems faced by these gentle giants due to lose of habitat mainly due to human activities and human encroachment. The problem needs to be permanently addressed on war footing as there are lives at risk from sides, both animal and human.
1. All areas occupied by buildings across the elephant migration path should be relocated. If human beings can think of translocating deeply sentient beings like elephants, then the same solution is applicable for human beings also. Elephants need to be given more space to peacefully live and not conflict with humans there by putting both lives at risk.
2. Elephants live as herds. It is scientifically proven that they have deep and long term memory of their habitats and migratory paths. This information is passed down to them through generations. So it is not correct for humans to say that elephants are trespassing. Rather it is we who have encroached into paths that they have been following for ages. They should not be separated from their families causing them immeasurable amount of pain there by making them become aggressive and harmful to human life
3. Only permitted number of brick kilns to operate in the aforesaid region. Illegal occupations should be cleared by the Government. Cultivation lands to grow crops not attractive to elephants
We are living in an age of serious environmental crisis today. Untimely floods, drastic climate changes and pollution are some of the very dangerous problems human beings have created for themselves by tampering with the environment in large scale. Let us please not add more problems by reducing forest and wildlife cover. This planet is not just our property. It belongs to all living beings. Rather we have loaned it from our future generations. So let us give our future generations a better planet by saving the forests and its denizens.
Reference:
https://www.facebook.com/sampathchandrasekar.chandrasekar/videos/1666349320132254/?epa=SEARCH_BOX
https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/what-way-out-elephant-human-conflicts-tn-experts-weigh-96107
The Issue
Over the last few months areas around Coimbatore district have been heavily infested with human encroachment induced conflict with elephants, especially the Thadagam area. This problem has cropped up relatively recently as till around ten years back there were not these many incidents of elephant habitat loss.The Nilgiri mountain ranges including the Anamalai, Mudhumalai hills and the remote areas of the Coimbatore district have been elephant corridors since ages. These paths are getting slowly encroached over the last 10-15 years. Resorts, Ashrams, Colleges, Schools, Government institutions have been built, there by fragmenting the elephant corridor. Cultivation and brick kilns have also been coming up changing the topography of this area drastically. Brick kilns seem to be mushrooming much more than the permitted number. Where 20-30 were supposed to function around 200 odd kilns have come up and the mud for these brick factories is being taken from the elephant migratory paths. All this put together has surmounted into a huge habitat crisis for the elephants. Now they are at a risk of completely losing their habitat. What is unfortunate is, human beings do not seem to understand that if elephants lose their forests then human beings will lose out on the essential elements for our survival like rain, oxygen and clean air.
Of all the elephants impacted Vinayagan and Chinnathambi became quite popular as they were repeatedly returning to cultivation areas and villages. But these two have so far been gentle giants not harming human life. Vinayagan has been tanslocated to Mudhumalai Tiger Reserve on 18 Dec 2018. Vinayagan's capture and translocation happened smoothly unlike Chinnathambi. Chinnathambi's capture which happened on 26 Jan 2019 itself was time taking and strenuous as there was a female elephant and a calf along with him. Chinnathambi put up a good restraint before surrendering to the Kumkis. In this process his tusks were damaged and he endured injuries in his back due to the Kumkis pushing him from behind. He was translocated to Top slip forest area. In his absence the female elephant and the calf were seen roaming around searching for him. Just two days after his translocation he returned back to Kottur village. Since then he has been on the walk as he is continuously being chased.
This petition is not just about Chinnathambi who has become the symbol of the man-animal conflict situation in TN. This petition intends to gain a permanent solution for the problems faced by these gentle giants due to lose of habitat mainly due to human activities and human encroachment. The problem needs to be permanently addressed on war footing as there are lives at risk from sides, both animal and human.
1. All areas occupied by buildings across the elephant migration path should be relocated. If human beings can think of translocating deeply sentient beings like elephants, then the same solution is applicable for human beings also. Elephants need to be given more space to peacefully live and not conflict with humans there by putting both lives at risk.
2. Elephants live as herds. It is scientifically proven that they have deep and long term memory of their habitats and migratory paths. This information is passed down to them through generations. So it is not correct for humans to say that elephants are trespassing. Rather it is we who have encroached into paths that they have been following for ages. They should not be separated from their families causing them immeasurable amount of pain there by making them become aggressive and harmful to human life
3. Only permitted number of brick kilns to operate in the aforesaid region. Illegal occupations should be cleared by the Government. Cultivation lands to grow crops not attractive to elephants
We are living in an age of serious environmental crisis today. Untimely floods, drastic climate changes and pollution are some of the very dangerous problems human beings have created for themselves by tampering with the environment in large scale. Let us please not add more problems by reducing forest and wildlife cover. This planet is not just our property. It belongs to all living beings. Rather we have loaned it from our future generations. So let us give our future generations a better planet by saving the forests and its denizens.
Reference:
https://www.facebook.com/sampathchandrasekar.chandrasekar/videos/1666349320132254/?epa=SEARCH_BOX
https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/what-way-out-elephant-human-conflicts-tn-experts-weigh-96107
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Petition created on 3 February 2019