Chased Away As 'Rogue' Elephant Years Ago, 'Kumki Chinnathambi' Brought
Back To Coimbatore To Drive Out Wild Tuskers (Coimbatore)
ETV Bharat
February 12, 2025
In a dramatic turn of events, the Tamil Nadu Forest Department has brought
the kumki (trained elephant) 'Chinnathambi', which was relocated in 2019
for being 'rogue', from the Anamalai Tiger Reserve to the Thadagam valley
in Coimbatore district to drive out wild elephants.
Exciting scenes were on display on Monday as 35-year-old tusker is the talk
of the town as it was brought by the Forest Department from the Anamalai
Tiger Reserve to the valleys of Thadagam, Anaikatti, and Mangarai along the
Western Ghats in Coimbatore district.
While 'Chinnathambi' is being seen as a messiah to drive out wild elephants
intruding into human habitats , only a few years ago, there were complaints
that the “rogue” tusker was damaging agricultural lands and crops.
Subsequently, in 2019, when the forest department relocated the elephant
Chinnathambi to the ATR.
Years down the line, Chinnathambi, which once roamed areas including
Thadagam, Anaikatti, and Mangarai, has now returned to the same area, but
as a 'Kumki', to protect the people who chased him away that day.
The now kumki Chinnathambi along with two other elephants Periyathambi and
Vinayagan, used to roam in the agricultural lands adjacent to the forest
area in search of food. I
Long before Chinnathambi was relocated, in 2007, the other tusker
Periyathambi was released in the Thengumarahada forest area of the
Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve.
The forest department caught the third tusker 'Vinayagan' in 2018 and
released it in the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve. But, farmers' protests
persisted against Chinnathambi, which they said was damaging agricultural
crops.
Environmentalist and secretary of the Coimbatore Wildlife Conservation
Trust, told ETV Bharat that they have been monitoring the elephants
Chinnathambi, Vinayagan and Periya Thambi for over 15 years.
https://www.etvbharat.com/en/!state/chased-away-as-rogue-elephant-years-ago-kumki-chinnathambi-brought-back-to-coimbatore-to-drive-out-wild-tuskers-enn25021205535
Chased Away As 'Rogue' Elephant Years Ago, 'Kumki Chinnathambi' Brought
Back To Coimbatore To Drive Out Wild Tuskers (Coimbatore)
ETV Bharat
February 12, 2025
In a dramatic turn of events, the Tamil Nadu Forest Department has brought
the kumki (trained elephant) 'Chinnathambi', which was relocated in 2019
for being 'rogue', from the Anamalai Tiger Reserve to the Thadagam valley
in Coimbatore district to drive out wild elephants.
Exciting scenes were on display on Monday as 35-year-old tusker is the talk
of the town as it was brought by the Forest Department from the Anamalai
Tiger Reserve to the valleys of Thadagam, Anaikatti, and Mangarai along the
Western Ghats in Coimbatore district.
While 'Chinnathambi' is being seen as a messiah to drive out wild elephants
intruding into human habitats , only a few years ago, there were complaints
that the “rogue” tusker was damaging agricultural lands and crops.
Subsequently, in 2019, when the forest department relocated the elephant
Chinnathambi to the ATR.
Years down the line, Chinnathambi, which once roamed areas including
Thadagam, Anaikatti, and Mangarai, has now returned to the same area, but
as a 'Kumki', to protect the people who chased him away that day.
The now kumki Chinnathambi along with two other elephants Periyathambi and
Vinayagan, used to roam in the agricultural lands adjacent to the forest
area in search of food. I
Long before Chinnathambi was relocated, in 2007, the other tusker
Periyathambi was released in the Thengumarahada forest area of the
Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve.
The forest department caught the third tusker 'Vinayagan' in 2018 and
released it in the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve. But, farmers' protests
persisted against Chinnathambi, which they said was damaging agricultural
crops.
Environmentalist and secretary of the Coimbatore Wildlife Conservation
Trust, told ETV Bharat that they have been monitoring the elephants
Chinnathambi, Vinayagan and Periya Thambi for over 15 years.
https://www.etvbharat.com/en/!state/chased-away-as-rogue-elephant-years-ago-kumki-chinnathambi-brought-back-to-coimbatore-to-drive-out-wild-tuskers-enn25021205535
