The Tamil Nadu Forest department has banned the entry of tourists to the Megamalai hill station, near Chinnamanur, in Tamil Nadu after translocated tusker Arikompan has been reported to be roaming the area.
According to Tamil Nadu Forest department officials, the tusker has been roaming the Tamil Nadu forest area from Friday.
According to Chinnamanur range officer T. Sivaji, the tusker is now roaming the Highway View area near Megamalai. “Tamil Nadu Forest department officials spotted the tusker at Highway View, near Megamalai, on Friday. The presence of the tusker was reported near human habitations at Highway View. We deployed two special teams consisting of 15 members to monitor the tusker,” said Mr. Sivaji.
“The Forest department issued a temporary ban on tourists in Megamalai to avoid untoward incidents. But the movement of residents of Megamalai has not been banned,” said Mr. Sivaji.
Confirms presence
The Kerala Forest department officials confirmed that the tusker was now at Megamalai inside the Tamil Nadu forest. The last signal from the satellite radio collar on the tusker was received on Friday night.
“Sometimes the animal moves under thick canopy or heavy rain and the signals get cut. Two teams of the Kerala Forest department, consisting of four members each, are still monitoring the movements of the tusker. We suspect the tusker is trying to return to Chinnakkanal,” said the official.
Film announced
Meanwhile, a film has been announced based on the story of Arikompan. Producer N.M. Badusha shared the first-look poster of the film on Facebook on Saturday. The film titled ‘Arikompan’ will be directed by Sajid Yahiya and the script will be by Suhail M. Koya.
