Project Nilgiri Tahr to start soon, Addl CS inspects arrangements

COIMBATORE: The nine captive elephants at Elephant Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre (ERRC) in Tiruchy are to be shifted to Chadivayal elephant camp in the foothills of Siruvani to be rehabilitated in a natural habitat.

“The elephants, which were in captivity, will be relocated to such a natural habitat for them to spend their rest of life in the wilderness.

The area has been developed to accommodate the elephants with facilities to provide treatment and take care post their retirement,” said Supriya Sahu, Additional Chief Secretary, the Environment, Climate Change and Forest Department.

She visited the Chadivayal camp accompanied by Chief Wildlife Warden Srinivas Reddy, Conservator of Forests S Ramasubramanian and Coimbatore District Forest Officer TK Ashok Kumar in Coimbatore on Monday.

Further, Sahu said that the government has been giving utmost care to the welfare of elephants through several projects. Meanwhile, Srinivas Reddy said that the forest department has chosen Chadivayal for rehabilitating the captive elephants as it has suitable habitat and good water source.

Also, Sahu inspected an office to be set up for Project Nilgiri Tahr in Coimbatore.

“The aim of the first of its kind project in the country is to take up conservation measures to improve the population of this endangered state animal. As it is the first of its kind project, everything should be documented, validated and done scientifically,” she said.

The project envisions re-introducing Tahr in habitats where they once lived, restore their natural habitats by removing exotic species of plants and take further measures to improve their population.

The project envisions re-introducing Tahr in habitats where they once lived and restore their natural habitats