Coimbatore farmers petition DFO over elephant menace, activist interference

Coimbatore: Tamilaga Vivasayigal Sangam on Monday submitted a petition to the district forest officer (DFO), seeking immediate action to prevent damage caused by wild elephants, particularly one known as Bahubali, in Mettupalayam. They also flagged interference by ‘activists' and its impact.The farmers' association expressed frustration over repeated crop raids and property damage in Mettupalayam and Sirumugai forest ranges. They said the presence of elephants in the area has created fear among farmers and made it difficult for them to protect their livelihoods."We have been facing this issue for a very long time. When a wild elephant enters our farmland, we try to drive it back into the forest. Individuals claiming to be animal activists or NGO members intervene, take videos, and circulate them on social media. They are obstructing efforts to relocate the elephants and profiting from the conflict while farmers suffer," said T Venugopal, state president, Tamilaga Vivasayigal Sangam. He added that forest officials in Coimbatore should deploy drones to monitor elephant movement and drive the animals back into the forest.The petition also urged officials to investigate activists who were allegedly using the elephant issue for financial gain. It further claimed that some individuals were misusing the Wildlife Protection Act against farmers and sending false petitions to the forest department. Meanwhile, Coimbatore district forest officer N Vengadesh Prabhu said, "We are planning to bring a permanent solution to the elephant issue. Similarly, the farmers' complaints about activists will also be addressed. We are working to reduce the gap between the forest department and farmers and eliminate middlemen."