Officials fret as wild jumbo spotted gobbling plastic waste in TN's Gudalur
The New Indian Express
June 17, 2024
See link
https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/tamil-nadu/2024/Jun/17/officials-fret-as-wild-jumbo-spotted-gobbling-plastic-waste-in-tns-gudalur
for photo.
COIMBATORE: A viral video of an elephant consuming plastic waste along with
the leftover food on the roadside at Nellakottai on the Gudalur Sultan
Bathery road left activists and forest officials worried. A tourist who was
driving from Kerala shot the video, and shared it on social media. Though
activists had earlier spotted plastic paper, sanitary napkins, and masks in
elephant dung in Maruthamalai foothills and Gudalur, this is the first
evidence of an elephant consuming plastic.
Consuming plastic will not harm an elephant. But if food is stale, it will
cause health issues for them, a forest veterinarian said on the condition
of anonymity. “Since elephants have a simple digestive system, nearly 40 to
50% of whatever they consume will not be digested and released through
dung. Elephants suffer diarrhoea and other infection if they consume stale
food, chutney, sambar etc that are thrown along the roadsides. A scientific
study should be carried out to find out the effects when animals,
especially elephants, consume plastics,” he said.
N Sadiq Ali, founder of the Wildlife and Nature Conservation Trust (WNCT)
said “The incident shows the poor handling of solid waste by Nellakottai
municipality since plastic usage is banned across the district. “The
collector M Aruna should order all municipalities and panchayats to clear
waste on a regular basis for the welfare of wild animals. Hoardings should
be placed whereever possible to raise awareness among tourists to prevent
them from dumping garbage in the open.”
Stating that elephant consuming plastic was rare, a senior official of
Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR) said it is difficult to find out who dumps
garbage in the open as covering the roadside using CCTV cameras is a
Herculean task.
https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/tamil-nadu/2024/Jun/17/officials-fret-as-wild-jumbo-spotted-gobbling-plastic-waste-in-tns-gudalur
Officials fret as wild jumbo spotted gobbling plastic waste in TN's Gudalur
The New Indian Express
June 17, 2024
See link
<https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/tamil-nadu/2024/Jun/17/officials-fret-as-wild-jumbo-spotted-gobbling-plastic-waste-in-tns-gudalur>
for photo.
COIMBATORE: A viral video of an elephant consuming plastic waste along with
the leftover food on the roadside at Nellakottai on the Gudalur Sultan
Bathery road left activists and forest officials worried. A tourist who was
driving from Kerala shot the video, and shared it on social media. Though
activists had earlier spotted plastic paper, sanitary napkins, and masks in
elephant dung in Maruthamalai foothills and Gudalur, this is the first
evidence of an elephant consuming plastic.
Consuming plastic will not harm an elephant. But if food is stale, it will
cause health issues for them, a forest veterinarian said on the condition
of anonymity. “Since elephants have a simple digestive system, nearly 40 to
50% of whatever they consume will not be digested and released through
dung. Elephants suffer diarrhoea and other infection if they consume stale
food, chutney, sambar etc that are thrown along the roadsides. A scientific
study should be carried out to find out the effects when animals,
especially elephants, consume plastics,” he said.
N Sadiq Ali, founder of the Wildlife and Nature Conservation Trust (WNCT)
said “The incident shows the poor handling of solid waste by Nellakottai
municipality since plastic usage is banned across the district. “The
collector M Aruna should order all municipalities and panchayats to clear
waste on a regular basis for the welfare of wild animals. Hoardings should
be placed whereever possible to raise awareness among tourists to prevent
them from dumping garbage in the open.”
Stating that elephant consuming plastic was rare, a senior official of
Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR) said it is difficult to find out who dumps
garbage in the open as covering the roadside using CCTV cameras is a
Herculean task.
https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/tamil-nadu/2024/Jun/17/officials-fret-as-wild-jumbo-spotted-gobbling-plastic-waste-in-tns-gudalur
