Padayappa camping in Shola area after completion of active musth period The Hindu March 20, 2024 See link <https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/padayappa-camping-in-shola-area-after-completion-of-active-musth-period/article67972807.ece> for photo. After completing the active musth period, a wild tusker, locally called Padayappa, is camping in theShola lands, near the tea plantations in Munnar. According to Forest department officials, the tusker will return to its normal behaviour after the post-musth period.The Forest department is continuing its efforts to chase back Padayappa to the forest. Munnar range officer Biju S. said that the tusker is not showing any aggressive behaviour as of now. “The Forest department’s special team is following Padayappa’s movements round the clock,” said the official. Retired forest veterinary officer Sunil Kumar said the tusker’s present behaviour indicates that it is in a post-musth period. “The animal’s behaviour during the post-musth period is unpredictable. The Forest department should take more care in monitoring Padayappa during this period,” he said. A senior Forest department official, who has been monitoring Padayappa’s behaviour for the past three years, said that after completing the musth period, Padayappa will usually move away from the human habitation for the next two months. “For the past two years, Padayappa had been missing from human habitations for nearly two months after the musth. Later, the animal returned to its normal habitat,” said the official. The Forest department launched a mission on Monday to chase the tusker back to the forest after it damaged roadside shops and parked vehicles, which caused panic in Munnar. However, the mission has not been completed as the tusker continued camping in Shola lands for the past two days. Unmanned Aerial Vehicle The Forest department officials completed a trial monitoring of tracking wild elephants in Munnar using an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle tracking on Wednesday . Official sources said that the drone unit costs around ₹70 lakh to ₹1.25 crore. “Due to the geographical condition of Munnar landscape, we are not sure how much useful the equipment will be in locating wild elephants here. The final decision on purchasing the product will be made only after a high-level verification,” said a Forest department source. The source added that the equipment’s night vision cameras were helpful locating wild elephants and providing timely warnings. Meanwhile, forest officials are planning to remove illegal roadside fruit shops in Munnar that attracts wild elephants. “The roadside shops in Munnar, including in Mattupetty, are erected at places through which wild elephants passes. If vendors stop keeping fruits in the stores during night time, do not store fruit items during the night, elephant attacks will also stop,” said a Forest department source. https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/padayappa-camping-in-shola-area-after-completion-of-active-musth-period/article67972807.ece