Gudalur MLA Pon Jayaseelan submitted a petition to District Collector Lakshmi Bhavya Tanneeru at the additional collector’s office in Udhagamandalam on Friday.
| Photo Credit: SATHYAMOORTHY M
The Gudalur MLA, Pon Jeyaseelan, along with other members of the public submitted a petition to the Nilgiris district collector on Friday, demanding steps to prevent negative human-animal interactions in the region.
In the petition, they stated that apart from elephants, other wildlife, including tigers and leopards were being seen with increased frequency across Devarshola town panchayat. They alleged that the carnivores were targeting cattle belonging to farmers in the area, and that six heads of cattle had been killed by animals in the last month. They also said that elephants were being seen in Padanthorai.
He also alleged that efforts to drive elephants into Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR) were an “eyewash” and that not enough steps were being taken to solve the issue.
The petition also stated that the Tamil Nadu Tea Plantation Corporation (TANTEA) and the Forest Department were not maintaining overgrown tea bushes on their lands, leading wildlife to use the wooded areas as cover and approach residential quarters. He demanded that the bushes be cleared so people have clearer lines of sight to help avoid wildlife.
He called on the government to install elephant-proof trenches and solar-powered fences to prevent elephants from entering human-settlements. He also called for compensation amounting to ₹75,000 be given to farmers immediately who lose their cattle to wildlife, and for elephants to be chased back into MTR.
The demands come in the wake of the death of a 70-year-old woman in elephant attack at Pandalur.
Published – July 25, 2025 10:22 pm IST
