Translocating jumbos | A tightrope walk for elephants and humans

June 25, 2023
Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
Category: DPN Topics

Translocating jumbos | A tightrope walk for elephants and humans

Subject: Environment

Section: Places in news

Context:

The recent translocation of Arikompan, an elephant from Kerala, to the Kalakkad Mundanthurai Wildlife Sanctuary in Tamil Nadu has brought back into focus the variables that dictate the success of such operations.

Details:

The attempt is two-fold:
- To give the elephant a second chance at a life in the wild, and
- To provide villagers peace of mind from the threat of attacks for food.
According to experts, four of the last five elephants released inside the reserve or in the surrounding areas after being captured have either been recaptured or have died.

Protected areas:

Protected areas in News	Description
1. Kalakkad Mundanthurai WLS	Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve (KMTR) located in the South Western Ghats montane rain forests in Tirunelveli district and Kanyakumari district in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu, is the second-largest protected area in Tamil Nadu. It is part of the Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve. Included in “Project Tiger” in fiscal year 2010-11. The reserve forms the catchment area for 14 rivers and streams. Among these rivers and streams are the Ganga, Tambraparani, Ramanadi, Karayar, Servalar, Manimuthar, Pachayar, Kodaiyar, Gadananathi River, and Kallar.
2. Bandipur Tiger reserve	Located in Karnataka This National Park was formed by including most of the forest areas of the then Venugopala Wildlife Park and named as Bandipur National Park. Brought under Project Tiger in 1973. The reserve lies in one of the richest biodiversity areas of our country representing the “Western Ghats Mountains Biogeography Zone”, surrounded by Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (Tamil Nadu) in the South, Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary (Kerala) in the Southwest & on the North West Side the Kabini Reservoir separates the Bandipur and Nagarahole Tiger Reserve. The reserve is recognized as one of the Mega Biodiversity Areas in the country and is home to rich floral and faunal diversity.
3. Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve	It is a protected area and tiger reserve in the Eastern Ghats in the Erode District of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve, the Gateway to Eastern Ghats, is a significant ecosystem and a wildlife corridor in the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve between the Western Ghats and the rest of the Eastern Ghats. It is a genetic link between the five other protected areas which it adjoins, including the Billigiriranga Swamy Temple Wildlife Sanctuary, Sigur Plateau, Mudumalai National Park, Bandipur National Park and the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary.
4. Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve	It harbours a wide spectrum of ecosystem types such as tropical evergreen forests, Montane sholas and grasslands, semi-evergreen forests, moist deciduous forests, dry deciduous forests and thorn forests. The major part of the core areas spread over Kerala and Tamil Nadu States. This range of ecosystem occurs from hilly terrain to the meadows extending from 300 to 2670 m constituting an excellent habitat for the flora, fauna and other microbial forms. The varied habitats of the NBR house a sizeable number of species of animals and plants including a large number of endemics having special relevance to conservation. Fauna: Animals like Nilgiri tahr, Nilgiri langur, slender loris, blackbuck, tiger, gaur, Indian elephant and marten are found here. Tribal Population: Tribal groups like the Todas, Kotas, Irullas, Kurumbas, Paniyas, Adiyans, Edanadan Chettis, Cholanaickens, Allar, Malayan, etc., are native to the reserve. Protected Areas within the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve are: The Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary, Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary, Bandipur National Park, Nagarhole National Park, Mukurthi National Park and Silent Valley.