Kerala forest department officials at Inchathotty near Kothamangalam pool in money to build a waterhole for wild elephants

Kaumi GazetteLife & Style9 March, 20258.2K Views

An elephant at the waterhole
| Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

A herd of thirsty elephants, a water supply throughout a human settlement, anxious locals and anxious forest department officials,  would possibly sound like the right template for human-animal battle. Forest department officials of the Inchathotty Forest Station beneath the Munnar Forest Division in Kerala, nevertheless, flipped the script and got here up with a inventive resolution to put the locals at ease and supply succour for the thirsty elephants and different wild animals, by digging a a waterhole.  

Eighteen officials of the Inchathotty Forest Station near Kothamangalam pooled in ₹12,000 for the tank, which is now getting used not solely by elephants, but additionally sambar deer, wild boar, nilgai, smaller animals and even the odd python.   

A few weeks in the past GG Santosh Kumar, deputy vary officer at the Inchathotty Forest Station was knowledgeable of a herd of elephants ready near a solar-powered fence at Muniapara (which falls beneath the Forest Station), making an attempt to get previous it to attain the river Periyar. The work on the 11 kilometre solar-powered fence, is meant to hold elephants from raiding farms and human settlements.  

The water hole built by the forest department officials of the Inchathotty Forest Station

The water gap constructed by the forest department officials of the Inchathotty Forest Station
| Photo Credit:
SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

“It is their source of water, however to do that they cross areas where people live,” Santosh Kumar mentioned. “There was a four-month old calf who would make futile attempts to get past the fence. It looked extremely thirsty. Every time it touched the fence, to get to the river, it would get a jolt of electric current. We thought the herd would move on, as they normally do. But they did not, it was not easy watching the thirsty herd waiting there. We felt bad for them. Also their presence was making locals uneasy,” he says. The space contains rocky terrain, which makes availability of water scarce. “In peak summer especially, the waterfalls and streams run dry making access to water difficult for these wild animals.”  

The locals had been anxious with good motive, the reminiscence of Eldhose of close by Urulthanni, who was trampled on by a tusker in December 2024, was nonetheless contemporary in their minds. When the elephants didn’t go away even after a couple of days, the officials of the Inchathotty got here up with the watering gap plan in mid-February. This approach it might additionally put the residents’ minds at ease.

Though Santosh Kumar mooted the concept, he had the wholehearted assist of his colleagues. 

Once the spot was recognized, a JCB Excavator was used to dig the tank — eight metres lengthy, one metre deep, six metres vast with a capability to maintain 50,000 litres of water. “Once the tank was lined with silpaulin we put in dried leaves and other debris to make it look natural so that the animals would not be suspicious. We had the full support of the locals in the endeavour. Even the staff was thrilled once the pond was ready,” says Santosh Kumar. It is located round 50 metres from the principle highway making the weekly  refills simple. A tanker lorry is used to fetch water from the close by Periyar for the aim. 

“We are all excited by how the animals are making use of the waterhole. We intend to maintain it for as long as it is needed,” says Santosh Kumar.  

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