Coimbatore, August 24
Farmers in Thekkampatti near Mettupalayam have urged the Tamil Nadu government to relocate the proposed elephant rejuvenation camp, warning that its revival could increase wild elephant intrusions into drought-affected villages and agricultural fields.
The Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Minister recently announced in the Assembly that ₹3 crore had been allocated to resume the camp on the banks of the Bhavani River. The camp, organised for temple and mutt elephants, has not been conducted at Thekkampatti for the past five years.
Farmers from Thekkampatti and Nellithurai panchayats said the proposed venue falls along a traditional wild elephant migration corridor. The area also has watering points frequently used by elephant herds moving through the adjoining forest landscape.
They fear that temporary structures and increased human activity at the camp could block the animals’ established routes and force them into nearby settlements. Thekkampatti, Dasanur, NG Pudur, RG Pudur, Thottadasanur, Nellithurai and Kittampalayam are among the villages that could face increased elephant movement.
Residents of these areas already suffer crop losses and face threats to their safety because of frequent elephant intrusions. Farmers said the presence of female temple elephants during the breeding season could also attract wild male elephants towards the camp and surrounding farmlands.
They are particularly concerned because prolonged drought has already affected cultivation and rural livelihoods. Any additional crop damage could deepen their financial distress, while compensation for losses caused by wild animals is often inadequate or delayed.
The movement of visitors, vehicles and temporary vendors could also cause severe congestion on the Thekkampatti-Vanapathirakali Amman Temple road.
Farmers said previous incidents of wild elephants entering the camp and attacking captive elephants and mahouts had demonstrated the risks involved. They requested the government and Forest Department to conduct a comprehensive ecological and safety assessment and identify an alternative location away from elephant corridors, villages and cultivated areas.
