A recent field study conducted by an elephant corridor identification committee has brought to light preliminary information regarding the existence of as many as 36 corridors in Tamil Nadu. Of them, 17 have been identified in the south of Palakkad and 19 in the north of Palakkad, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Chief Wildlife Warden (PCCF and CWC) Srinivas Ramachandra Reddy has informed the Madras High Court.
In a status report filed before a special Division Bench of Justices N. Sathish Kumar and D. Bharatha Chakravarthy, the PCCF and CWC said a publication titled Right of Passage: Elephant Corridors in India brought out by the Wildlife Trust of India had mentioned just 19 elephant corridors in Tamil Nadu. However, the recent study has revealed almost double the number, thereby posing several challenges in consolidation.
The status report served on litigant S. Muralidharan and advocate SP. Chockalingam stated that the Neyyar WLS Chithar corridor, Kodayar-Kanniyakumari WLS corridor and Panagudi Kalakkad WLS corridor had been identified in Kanniyakumari district.
