The Horticulture Department is said to be awaiting the response of the Madras High Court before taking a final call on translocation of the Kallar Horticulture Farm, to facilitate free movement of wild elephants.
The High Court had, during September 2022, ordered shifting of the farm. As suggested by the amici curiae appointed by the Court, the authorities removed the solar fencing and other obstacles at the farm located at an elevation of 360 m above mean sea level at the foot of Nilgiris.
Last year, the horticulture farm was closed to visitors to prevent negative human-elephant interactions. The farm located one km from the first hairpin bend where the Mettupalayam-Udhagamandalam road enters the ghat section was described by wildlife activists as a bottleneck in the crucial Jaccanaire-Hulikal Durgam elephant corridor.
Started during 1900 by the British regime, the horticulture farm has been designed as a centre for germplasm. The little over 21 acres of the farm teems with rare plants and fruit-bearing trees such as durian, kiwi, mangosteen, avocado, lichi, rambutan, jackfruits, areca nut and nutmeg.
Translocating the farm is a tough proposition, according to Horticulture Department sources.
According to an official of Horticulture Department, the “rather rare” movement of elephants had been determined based on the presence of dung. Otherwise, there has been no negative interactions.
In any case, only farmers and students are allowed to visit the farm during daytime. The farm has been brought under CCTV surveillance, it is learnt.
According to wildlife activists, the Kallar Corridor (as it is popularly called) connects the larger Brahmagiri – Nilgiris – Eastern Ghats elephant population range with the Nilambur – Silent Valley – Coimbatore population range, aiding genetic exchange.
Published – November 03, 2025 08:55 pm IST
