Will Chinnathambi be turned into a kumki? Forest Dept answers Madras HC

On January 26, Chinnathambi, a 25-year-old wild elephant was caught in the outskirts of Coimbatore. The elephant was caught after complaints from the locals that it was causing damage. Though Chinnathambi was released into the Annamalai forest range, he came back into a village near Pollachi.

During this time, Tamil Nadu’s Forest Minister Dindigul Srinivasan stated that Chinnathambi will be caught and tamed into a kumki elephant. His words enraged many including Arun Prasanna, a wildlife activist who filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) with the Madras High Court.

Prasanna in his petition explained the situation of elephants and in detail wrote about the torturous process of converting a wild elephant into a kumki elephant. Prasanna also sought the court to direct the Forest Department to frame proper guidelines for elephant translocation and rehabilitation.

Responding to PIL, Tamil Nadu’s Principal Chief Conservator of Forests assured the court that they had no intention of converting Chinnathambi into a kumki elephant and explained that capturing the elephant will be used only as a last resort.