Forest officials in India use bio-repellents to ward off wild elephants
The forest officials said that the bio-repellent was extracted from a plant and was much harmless but still effective against the elephants.
Forest officials of Tamil Nadu’s Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR) have used bio-repellents to prevent the intrusion of wild elephants into human settlements, thus reducing the number of jumbo attacks.
Since December 2021, officials of ATR have mixed bio-repellent in water and sprayed the mixture around residences and shops in Mudis estate, TANTEA, Sangali road, and Urulikkal.
The forest officials said that the bio-repellent was extracted from a plant and was much harmless but still effective against the elephants.
The elephants, according to ATR officials, can sense its smell from as far as one and a half kilometres away and stay away from human settlements.
A senior officer of the Tamil Nadu Forest Department based at Anamalai told IANS that the number of elephant attacks has reduced since the use of the bio-repellent.
According to him, the movement of around 200 elephants were recorded in 2020- 21 but it has come down to 140-150 elephant intrusions in the corresponding period from 2021-22 so far.
Studies conducted by the Forest Department have found that most of these elephants have gone inside to Tamil Nadu- Kerala forests from the Valpara plateau areas.
The Statesman
