With the lockdown in place, wild elephants entering Munnar and raiding vegetable shops are becoming common.
Local residents say elephants are frequently entering the town and staying put there for long durations. They enter the town at night triggering panic, forcing people to stay indoors.
Though elephants used to reach estate areas of Kannimala, Periyavarai and Lakshi near Munnar, they rarely entered the town busy with vehicles and visitors. With movement of people remaining minimal following the lockdown, it is a free run for the animals. Herds of elephants reach the town at night and raid vegetable shops. A shop in the town was attacked for the third time two days ago and vegetables were eaten and destroyed.
No action
Shibu, a local resident, says wild elephants frequent the town as food items are available at shops. A shop owner says though traders have complained to the Forest Department, no action has been taken. “Once an elephant reaches a place and finds enough vegetables, herds will follow and raid and destroy all the shops,” he says.
Though the Munnar area of the Kochi-Dhanushkodi National Highway is part of an elephant corridor and the animals frequent the roadside, the town limit was relatively free of their presence.
After the lockdown was announced and Munnar became a COVID-19 hotspot, people’s presence has come down, which has been cited as a reason for the elephants frequenting the town.
Dharna held
Youth Congress workers on Monday held a dharna in front of the office of the Wildlife Warden demanding immediate steps to chase away elephants from the town. When contacted, a forest official said the paths through which the elephants reached the town were being monitored. Officials had been deputed on the paths to chase them back into forests, he said.
