The Forest Department, with the use of thermal drone cameras, drove back the two elephants that had made their way into Kunkumoola in Srimadurai panchayat in Gudalur on Wednesday.
“In the early hours of August 13, two wild elephants that had strayed into the Kunkumoola area under Srimadurai Panchayat were driven safely back into the Mudumalai forest areas, as per the instructions of the District Forest Officer,” the Forest Department said in a statement.
To carry out this operation, members of the Gudalur Forest Division’s Special Elephant Protection Task Force, along with field staff, worked in coordination with a specially trained team of drone-operators that kept tabs on the two animals as they made their way back into Mudumalai. The elephants were guided from Srimadurai Panchayat through Ambalamoola and Kunduthal to the Mudumalai forest area. Continuous safety and monitoring operations were being undertaken to prevent human–wildlife interactions in the region, Forest Department officials stated.
The Gudalur forest division has redoubled their efforts to prevent negative human-elephant interactions in the region following recent instances of people being killed during accidental encounters with elephants in the region.
Published – August 14, 2025 05:34 pm IST
