Container ration shops to test strength of rice-loving elephants visiting Valparai

A ration shop made of cargo container at Thaimudi near Valparai.
| Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

When the annual migration of wild elephants from the Kerala side to Valparai begins in August, operators of ration shops and grocery stores in the plateau are extra cautious.

Among the 100-odd elephants that migrate to the hill station every year and move around plantations and human habitations interspersed with forest patches, a few exhibit their liking for human food, especially ration rice.

While the conventional ration shops have repeatedly been targeted by wild elephants for food grains in the past, two new ones will test the strength of the pachyderms this year.

Made of cargo containers, these two ration shops are situated at Mukkotu Mudi and Thaimudi estates of the Bombay Burmah Trading Corporation Limited, where elephants had damaged the conventional buildings in the past. Both places fall under the Manambolly forest range of the Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR).

Sponsored by the WWF-India, the two ration shops made of cargo containers are yet to be launched officially. However, they are being used for distribution of rations for the past few months.

According to the Forest Department, wild elephants approached the two ration shops after they started functioning, and no damage have been reported so far.

Bhargava Teja, Deputy Director (Pollachi division) of ATR, said the two cargo container ration shops are expected to be effective to prevent damage by elephants. “We need to wait for a few more months to assess the actual result of the project as bigger herds of elephants are yet to reach Valparai. The smart virtual fencing system launched by the Forest Department is also working well,” he said.

There are more than 40 ration shops in the plateau, situated within jurisdictions of the Manambolly and Valparai forest ranges. The smart virtual fencing system launched by the ATR administration will give an extra cover to many of these ration shops this year. The system works with 1,300 poles mounted with solar-powered infrared devices, which detect movement of elephants and generate alarms.

“Elephants damaged the old ration shop 32 times. After being shifted to the container, no damage has been reported,” said K.B. Ummer, whose wife is the licensee of the ration shop at Thaimudi.

The migration of elephants started in August and more elephants are expected to come to the plateau. The migration peaks by December and ends by March when the visiting pachyderms return to the Kerala side.

“At present around 25 elephants are seen roaming in plantations,” said K. Giritharan, Forest Range Officer, Manambolly.