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The Hindu
16 hours ago
- General
- The Hindu
World Elephant Day 2025: Looking out for the gentle giants
Every year, August 12 is observed as World Elephant Day to bring the spotlight on protecting one of the most magnificent animals to walk the earth. This year, Coimbatore played host to the celebrations organised by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), in collaboration with the Tamil Nadu Forest Department. With mitigating human-elephant conflict at the centre of the celebrations, the event brought together top officials from the MoEF&CC, the Forest Department, frontline staff who work tirelessly in the field, and mahouts who care for elephants. Here are some highlights from the event. Honouring unsung heroes Gaj Gaurav Awards were instituted to seven field staff and mahouts from across India in recognition of their work in elephant conservation. S Karthikeyan, Forest Guard and M Murali Anti-Poaching Watcher, both from Dharmapuri Circle, were the awardees from Tamil Nadu. Thirty-four-year-old Murali has been actively involved in risky elephant rescue operations across Forest Circles, while Karthikeyan was honoured for patrols along areas of man-elephant conflict to monitor animal movement. In April this year, he rescued injured elephants at the Cauvery North Wildlife Sanctuary. 'Elephants entering human habitation tend to fall into open wells when agitated, especially at night when they try to raid crops,' says 32-year-old Karthikeyan. He has observed this up close in villages on the fringes of forests in Hosur. 'Some people light firecrackers to chase elephants that venture into their fields,' he says, adding: 'There are several open, abandoned wells in the region, and the animals get hurt when they slip and fall.' He recalls the recent rescue of one such elephant by his team of ten. 'I urge people living near forests to enclose wells with walls for the sake of elephants,' he says. With love, from Gudalur Gudalur-based socio-environmental enterprise The Real Elephant Collective, known for crafting life-size elephants made of lantana, had displayed a handful of elephants constructed by tribal people from villages in and around Gudalur in the Nilgiri hills. But what stood apart was a small collection of animal and bird miniatures, done with impeccable attention to detail. 'We have 16 pieces as part of the collection, including five birds, eight animals, and trees and bushes,' says Tariq Thekaekara from the Collective. They have been sculpted by hand with wood from Senna Spectabilis, an invasive plant that poses a major threat to the Nilgiri biosphere, removed with support from the Forest Department. While the team's lantana elephants have travelled the world — they have been displayed in the UK, US, apart from several cities in India — they now want to carve birds and animals that are not as popular. These include the Nilgiri tahr, Nilgiri marten, spotted deer, jungle fowl, Indian giant squirrel, hornbill, among others. Hand-carved by tribal women using simple tools, these are animals and birds the people grew up seeing. The miniatures will initially be available for sale in all the Forest Department eco shops in the Nilgiris, Mudumalai, Bandipur and Wayanad, and can also be purchased online soon. While the women are now working from the Collective's office in Gudalur, they will eventually have the freedom to make the figurines from home. For enquiries, email info@ Elephant tales Kirti Vardhan Singh, Union Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, released An Ancient Bond: The Elephant Whisperers of Mudumalai, a coffee table book by Tarsh Thekaekara featuring photos of elephants and their mahouts, and the children's book The Lost Elephant and the Soul Tree published by Westland's Red Panda. Suitable for children aged eight to 12, The Lost Elephant and the Soul Tree was inspired by the author's reportage across elephant camps in the Western Ghats. Little Girl, LG for short, a mischievous elephant calf gets separated from her herd when they cross a tea plantation. She ends up in an elephant camp in the forest for abandoned and problematic elephants, and must summon every ounce of courage to find her way back home. Her only hope is the Soul Tree, a living, breathing portal into faraway landscapes. With the help of two feisty old elephants and a fierce tusker with a tender heart, she sets out to find it on a full-moon night, braving dark jungles and predators on the lurk. The story will take readers into the workings of an elephant herd, introducing issues such as disappearing forests, man-animal conflict, and elephant behaviour. Set in the dense sholas of Tamil Nadu, it has magic and adventure, and is an ode to the many steely elephant matriarchs who would die to protect their herd. Available at book stores and online.
Time of India
4 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Centre plans to implement AI-based early warning systems to protect wildlife
COIMBATORE: The Union govt is planning to implement an AI-based early warning system in elephant corridors along the railway tracks across the country. This follows the successful implementation of the AI-based early warning systems by the Tamil Nadu forest department in Madukkarai forest range in Coimbatore district. 'AI-based early warning shall be implemented in the elephant corridors along the railway tracks in other states, as well. Not just elephants, but other vulnerable species like tigers and others can also be included, for which a primary study will be conducted,' said Union minister of state for environment, forest and climate change Kirti Vardhan Singh. The minister was speaking to reporters after taking part in World Elephant Day 2025 celebrations held in Coimbatore on Tuesday evening. He appreciated Tamil Nadu for the successful adoption of the technological advancement in ecological conservation. At the event, Gaj Gaurav Awards were conferred on forest frontline staff members and mahouts from across India. Two of the awardees were from Tamil Nadu. The minister stated that, as per the 2017 estimation, 29,000 elephants were recorded. India contributes to about 60% of the Asiatic elephant population. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like The 5 Books Warren Buffett Recommends You To Read in 2025 Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo 'We have now identified and ground validated 150 elephant corridors across 15 states,' he said. On the eve of the last year's World Elephant Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi assured on the use of remote sensing & geospatial mapping and AI to combat issues like human-animal conflicts, which has perfectly shown success at Madukkarai forest range.' Earlier, chief minister M K Stalin shared a note for the World Elephant Day on his X handle. In the post, the CM emphasised the achievement of 2,800 safe elephant crossings since February 2024, with zero train collisions via an AI-powered early warning system in Madukkarai. 'Our Dravidian Model govt recently inaugurated a mahout village at Theppakadu, featuring eco-friendly houses for mahouts and cavadies who care for these gentle giants. It strengthens the welfare of caregivers while advancing conservation. Let us pledge to keep elephants safe and free for generations to come,' he posted. Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area.
