Padayappa, a wild elephant in Munnar named after Rajinikanth’s hit film, has many admirers in an area known for man-animal conflicts primarily because of its calm nature.
Over the years, the tusker has made “friendly” appearances on the road and where plantation workers live, helping itself to food stored in shops without damaging the shops as such. However, for the past several months, the tusker is believed to have undergone a behavioural change as it occasionally raided ration shops.
In the past three months, the tusker attacked three ration shops at Thalayar, Periyavarai, and Lakkad. At Lakkad alone, the tusker attacked a ration shop some nine times. Local people fear that the tusker is following in the footsteps of Arikomban, which was translocated last year after its violent ration shops raids caused a scare at Chinnakkanal near Munnar town.
Elephant expert P.S. Essa says if the elephant has changed its regular behaviour, the reason should be analysed. “Rice raids by elephants have been reported from Valparai in Tamil Nadu as well. While people are at liberty to speculate, we should find out what attracts the elephant to ration shops. Only a behavioural study can take us to the root cause,” says Dr. Essa.
“Elephants are long-ranging migratory animals. The herd takes the same route generation after generation, on what is termed the elephant corridor. When their migratory path is obstructed, there are bound to be conflicts. All policymakers must realise that these are traditional paths, so we should keep them unblocked so that elephants can move without hindrances. Otherwise, elephant conflict is inevitable and bound to exacerbate as more and more human habitations and infrastructure block the migratory paths of elephants,” says Prakriti Srivastava, former Principal Chief Conservator of Forest.
Hadlee Ranjith, a wildlife photographer in Munnar who monitors wild animals, says there is no apparent change in the elephant’s behaviour. “At present, no behavioural change has been noticed in Padayappa, but some people are trying to provoke the animal. Another factor is the ubiquity of fences along the road, obstructing the movement of the elephant. Also, the numerous roadside eateries are easy targets of elephants in Munnar,“ he says.
Retired forest veterinary officer Sunil Kumar says behavioural change should be behind the animal’s rice-raiding habits. “Normally, wild elephants do not eat rice and there is no food scarcity for Padayappa in Munnar. A forest biologist-level study can bring out the reason behind the behavioural change of the animal,” he says.
A senior forest official says it is suspected that some people in Munnar are trying to change Padayappa to another Arikomban.
