‘Camp is the safest place now for Chinna Thambi’

Chennai: In the wake of the Chinna Thambi crisis, Asian elephant expert Ajay Desai submitted to the state a comprehensive report about the short and long term goals that need to be taken to prevent man-animal conflict. In an interview to TOI, he talks about why the elephant has gone out of control and why a camp is its best bet.
Q: Why Chinna Thambi’s behaviour change, as he returned to farm lands despite being released into the wild?
You cannot say its behaviour changed, rather it has been moulded by exposure to other crop raiding elephants when he was young.This resulted in his habit of raiding farms, where he became accustomed to the noise (drums, shouting and crackers) of farmers trying to drive it away. The availability of palmyra brought it to human habitation and made it familiar with buildings. People interacting with it at the forest boundary (to take pictures) made the elephant familiar with human interaction. So it began seeing forests and agriculture/built up areas as one single habitat. Hence, when released into the wild, it began exploring the new area and came across agricultural areas which it entered as if they were part of its natural habitat. And once it got food, it stayed back without bothering about people.

Ajay Desai
Q: Is this a unique case or is there any precedence of this kind of behaviour?
There are instances of elephants losing fear of people, but they are not habitual crop raiders. In this case it is a crop raider which has lost fear of people. The combination makes it an animal that can causes extreme conflict by walking into farms during the day and not bothering about people driving it away. That aspect is unique to this elephant. In future, such cases will become common if proper steps to mitigate conflict are not taken.

Q: What is the solution to this problem?
Conflict resolution is not about dealing with one elephant, but with the larger problem. There are a number of steps in the report that I submitted to the state. Ranging from stopping illegal cultivation near Bhavanisagar reservoir and Mudumalai’s Kallar corridor to curbing unregulated development along areas bordering forests, there are a number of issues.

While dealing with individual cases, the first step is negative conditioning. Next, is to move the elephant to a better habitat to give it a second chance and see if it settles down, failing which, it has to be taken into captivity.

Q: Is there no other option other than a camp for Chinna Thambi?
No one has come up with any other solution. The camp is the best environment. The measure being taken now is not just for the safety of people, but also of the elephant from electrocution, pits or wells. For instance, Peria Thambi which was earlier with this elephant was electrocuted in Coimbatore.

Q: Is it advisable to train him as a kumki?
One cannot predict if an elephant is suitable as a kumki at this stage. It is only after taming and exposing the elephant to other wild elephants will its character be apparent and only then can a decision be made.
Q: How can we reduce man-animal conflict?
Addressing conflict in a holistic way is necessary. First causal factors have to be addressed, such as stopping vehicle movement through elephant corridors and sensitive wildlife habitat. For containing conflict, elephant proof trenches, built along the routes taken by them to enter farmlands, have to be repaired. The rapid response team also has to be improved.