Elephants of the Palani Hills - Satheesh Muthu Gopal

Back in 2010, I visited the Pethelpuram forest in Palani Hills with Kariamal, a member of the Palni Hills Conservation Council (PHCC). We hoped to see the Grizzled Giant Squirrels and walked up the hill to Siruvettukkadu Kombai. In several spots along the way we observed the Squirrels. In those days the PHCC was committed to saving the species by protecting its habitat. It was evident during the trip that steps were being taken for conservation in that region. While returning to Pethelpuram in the evening, we found a flock of Plum-headed Parakeets which grabbed our complete attention, and it took some time for us to realize that we were surrounded by elephants. We slowly moved out of that place and saw that there were four of them. That was my first encounter with elephants in the Palani Hills.

Photograph by Karthick Hari

Later in 2012, I came across the fresh dung of elephants in the Berijam range in the upper Palanis. Though there are only a few habitats of the elephants left in the upper hills, the movements of elephants are significant. The elephants are still found in the hills somewhere or the other though there are only patches of forests and grasslands remaining today. I've been watching elephants in the Thekkathottam range which is on the other side of the Palar River, in the foothills, for more than a decade. However, these elephants face disturbances due to tourism, cattle grazing, and the encroachment of invasive species across the hills.

There is coexistence between elephants and people in the foothills. Traveling to the foothills near Kuthirayar for the wildlife survey in 2011, I saw a herd of elephants very close to the human settlements. Similarly, on the other side of Varathamanadhi dam, between Sattaparai and Ayakudi village, I recently saw signs of elephants in the early morning. Though the elephants invade the maize farms, the villagers coexist with the animals and share the same route to harvest the guavas which they bring to the Ayakudi market every day.

Photograph by Karthick Hari

As the elephants need up to 200 kg of fodder and 150 liters of water every day for their survival, they require large habitats. Unfortunately, the conversion of forests into farmlands, or to cultivate mango and guava, attracts elephants into the agricultural fields, which potentially creates conflicts between humans and animals. According to the Elephant Corridor Draft report released by the Tamil Nadu Forest Department, the elephant corridors of the Palani Hills are also covered. The report highlights the Human Elephant Conflict areas in the foothills. The report recommends studying the forest boundary and finding the encroachment lands in the foothills. The report further recommends monitoring the elephant habitats to avoid further encroachments.

Evidence for Elephants roaming on the roads

The Palani Hills contain different types of forest including grasslands and shola forests in the upper hills, moist deciduous forests in the middle elevations, and dry deciduous, scrub forests in the foothills. All these forests are suitable for elephants as seen from the availability of food resources, and the known movement of the elephants on such elevations. Hence these areas have been made the elephant corridors of Palani hills. Two Elephant corridors are identified in the Palani hills range which include different forest divisions of Dindigul district, namely the Palar to Anagiri shola, including the Anjuveedu waterfalls and Thekkanthottam range. The elephants are mostly observed as herds except a few male tuskers in these ranges all through the year. The proposed cable car project from Palani to Kodaikanal cuts across this corridor and will disturb the elephant movement. So this project should be avoided in the forests at any cost.

Photograph by Karthick Hari

The other corridor is between the Kuthirayar and Berijam through the Kookal forest. This too has different forest types including the grasslands from upper hills and scrub forests in the foothills. However, the elephants pass through the revenue lands and agricultural lands to get from one place to another as the forests are fragmented and patchy. Last year, the forest department rightly stopped the tourists into the Berijam range to avoid any conflicts with the elephants. Though the farmers use solar fences for most of the lands, the elephants are attracted to other crops such as guavas in the foothills, or to pears in the upper hills.

Apart from these two important corridors in the Palani hills, there are other areas which the elephants inhabit. Apparently, they struggle to move across the forests using the narrow corridor. There is elephant movement between Varathamanathi dam and Karisalkoothu, which connects to another corridor between Siruvattukadu and Pachamalai. Unfortunately, all these forest ranges are very close to the cultivated lands. Creating a good network among the farmers and regular awareness campaigns can help to avoid the Human Elephant Conflict in these areas. As the forest department stated rightly, restriction on tourism activities and educating the forest department staffs on elephant behavior will help elephants move freely on their ancient paths.

Considering the elephant mortality in Tamil Nadu in recent years, electrocution and accidents are major factors. This can be avoided by proper monitoring of the electric fences with dedicated frontline staffs and regulated traffic. Another crucial issue is the rampant sand mining in the foothills; the trucks and lorries that ply through the forest areas for their plunder is an added threat to the elephants. There are many threats to deal with but, if the remaining elephant habitats and corridors in the Palani Hills can be protected, these large mammals can flourish in these forests forever.

Article Published in Leaf Litter Magazine June 2024. ©Satheesh Muthu Gopal