‘Sometimes early in the morning See you in the colony. Houses will be broken and rice will be eaten. At night he will be at Mathittan Hill, 15 km away.’ Residents of 301 Colony say with horror that rice stalks are causing constant problems. During the period 2001-2002, 301 tribal families were resettled on the banks of Anayirangal Dam Reservoir in Idukki under a government scheme. This is the 301 Colony. In 2017, an unexpected guest came to the region. A wild horn that tramples houses containing rice and brings rice inside. The natives called him Ari Kompan.
Arikomban has been the nightmare of Shanthanpara-Chinnaknal-Munnar region since then. Today there is not a single house in 301 Colony that has not been damaged by the rice plant attack. Many people have also been affected. He is feared not only by humans but also by other horned animals of the Anayirangal forest. ‘Operation Arikomban’ is reawakening after the High Court ordered the arrest of drug addicts and their transfer to Parambikulam forest area. On the other hand, there are allegations that shifting the paddy field to Parambikulam is not a permanent solution and it will become a misery for the tribals of Parambikulam. Apart from 301 Colony, BL Ram, 301 Colony, Velak, Anayirangal and regions are the major tourist spots of Kompan. Is the elephant menace in the region solved by changing a rice stalk? How to monitor elephant movements using radio collar technology? How does displacement from habitat affect the rice plant? Let’s check in detail.
∙ Where is the corn stalk?
For the past few days, Arikompan and Pidianakutta have been living in 301 Colony. Yesterday morning, another house in 301 Colony was destroyed by rice stalks. The forest department watchers say that the paddy field is a bit violent with the increase in rainfall. After many years, it was noticed by the locals that Arikomban was traveling with the Pidiana herd from last month. The High Court had also raised the doubt that Madapadu and the presence of the Pidianakuta would hinder the capture of Arikompan. The forest department’s reply was to control the dose of the drug used to numb the rice.
∙ Elephant walk
Elephant walks, including rice tusks, are not so rare. It is estimated that wildebeests travel an average of 25 kilometers a day. Flight distances of up to 195 km have also been found in elephants. That means it is only 160 km even by road to Parambikulam, where Arikompan is planned to be rehabilitated. But it rarely leaves the forest it lives in and chooses another place. Food and water shortages and natural disasters such as wildfires can also trigger displacement.
∙ Change from habitat is dangerous
Moving rice from its native habitat to an unfamiliar place can cause severe psychological stress to the elephant. When an elephant is brought into a new forest, either the elephant becomes psychologically stressed and is likely to become aggressive. Upon arrival in a new forest, it takes one to two years to find and understand new routes, feeding areas, and fresh water systems. Once they reach a new forest, they have to wait for years even before mating. There will be competition with the existing hornets for foraging and mating. The climate of Chinnakanal, Shantambara regions and Parambikulam is very different. A senior forest department official said it will also take months to adjust to the climate. The forest department is estimating that due to continuous monitoring by attaching radio collars, it will be possible to prevent the re-entry of the rice plant into the residential area.
∙ What is a radio caller?
A radio collar is a system that monitors the presence of wild animals including wild animals using GPS. A radio collar is a rubber belt. Radio collars are made of rubber to prevent wear and tear and to prevent other physical discomfort to the elephants. Forest department officials say that a radio collar can be used for up to five years.
∙ Main parts
The radio collar consists of two main units. These units are GPS and GSM. GPS or Global Positioning System. A GPS radio collar is attached to track the location of the elephants.
GSM – Global System for Mobile Communication. A SIM radio is used in the collar just like in a mobile phone. The SIM with the highest range in the area is chosen for this. The radio collar also has a battery that lasts for 10 years. Radio collars are available in prices ranging from 2 lakhs to 5 lakhs.
The BSNL SIM is used in the radio collar which is prepared as a rice branch. Once the GPS tracking is started, the information can be received via GSM, mobile app or websites. A drawback is that the details are updated only when the elephant reaches the mobile range. With this, the forest department is trying to deliver the satellite radio collar from Assam. The special feature of this radio collar is that it tracks directly through satellite rather than through mobile range. The radio collar system was first used in the United States in 1964 in connection with the study of animals. Information about the location and movement of animals is collected with the help of sensors in the microchip with GPS system.
∙ Drug shooting
The process of drugging wild animals is known as darting. Darting is the English name for needle competition. In the same way, a small syringe containing an anesthetic is shot into the body of the elephants. There are special guns for this. When the drug is injected through the syringe using this gun, the charge in the syringe is released and the drug enters the elephant’s body. Antidote will be administered to the infected wildebeests before loading them into the lorry. This injection is given through the nerves near the ear.
∙ Arikompanena is fond of rice
Locals called him Ari Kompan because he used to break the ration shop and eat rice. The natives named the one who comes to eat jackfruit in the plow as Chakkakompan and the one with the short tail as Woundal. What’s more, do you want to hear a nickname for a very intelligent wildebeest? 4G and 5G had not arrived then. It is essential to identify the wild animals that wreak havoc in each area. Locals will show seriousness if they know who is on the way. These names are used by temporary watchers and other officials of the forest department.
Experts say that hormonal changes in elephants may be the reason for following such different diets. Rice, sugar, salt and jaggery are the favorite foods of the rice plant. These feeding habits may have helped the rice hornbill to become a slightly stronger hornbill than other hornbills in the wild.
∙ The smell of rice
The elephant is one of the most olfactory creatures in the animal world. Many of the memories that an elephant keeps are based on different smells. The smell of rice, jaggery, and sugarcane are important memories that aid the rice stalk in its foraging journeys. The sense of smell helps the rice weevil to stop rice carts traveling on the road and find rice husks stored in houses. Studies have shown that elephants can smell objects up to 19 km away.
∙ He who is fond of rice will go ahead
Arashiraja, who shook Wayanad, was caught in this January. Like Arikompane, this ana got the Tamil name Arashiraja (Arashi – rice) due to her love for rice. The Mozha (hornless male elephant) which came from Pantallur in Tamil Nadu to Batheri in Wayanad was officially named Pantallur Makhna-2 (PM2) by the forest department. Arashi Raja, who brought the pumpkin to Anapanti after being captured, was given the name Raja by omitting Arashi.
∙ Failure in 2017
Chinnakanal Shantanpara region has had rice stalks for more than ten years, but it is only since 2017 that the name has started to be heard. No matter how hard it is, since they started eating rice by trampling the houses with rice, the rice branch has become a thorn in the side of the locals. Meanwhile, in 2017, the order of the forest department was issued to remove the elephant from the area by drugging it. On July 27, 2017, Arikompan was drugged three times near Anayirangal Muthamma Colony at 4:30 PM, but she was not completely sedated.
The operation was done with the help of Kunkianas Kalim and Venkatesh who were brought here. The forest department gave up trying to attach a radio collar to the body after realizing that it was impossible to stop the ottyan in this situation. Later, in 2018 and 2021, it was proposed to capture and remove Arikomban from the area, but no action was taken.
There are others who tremble
∙ Jackfruit
According to the local people, the history of Chakkakomban, which is around 30 years old, is not so good. He is cruel and has a history of kicking people if he gets in front of him. In March 2022, he had beaten the head of the household to the ground in Singhukand. A loner who goes in and out of homesteads to eat gum. If the gum is at the height of the trunk, the plow is saved.
Or even large plows are pierced with jackfruit branches and turned over. If there is agriculture in the area where the tree falls, it will be destroyed. If there is a house, it will be destroyed. Fearing him, the locals cut the jackfruit that blooms on the plows. Last day, Chakkakomban swam across the Anayirangal water body and reached the place where Kunkiana Vikram was stuck on the cement bridge.
∙ Wounded
Kuriyala is one of the dangerous wild animals of the Chinnakanal region. The 40-year-old injured person has a history of killing many people. Chinnakal is based in Panniar area. With the onset of summer, it will reach the inhabited area. Injured people are the nightmare of people in this region. Chinnakanal and moolathura areas are a loner. Locals say that they have not known the whereabouts of the injured man for several weeks. A wounded hornet does not come to a place where there is a grain of rice. It is said that he is afraid of the grain of rice. People have been stabbed to death, houses vandalized and vehicles overturned.
∙ Padayapa
This horn is familiar to the people of Munnar region. They can reach the gardeners’ kitchen gardens and eat them, but do not cause any other nuisance. So far there is no history of attacking anyone. This lonesome has a habit of coming to Munnar town and emptying some fruit and vegetable shops. Padayappa is the most stubborn wildebeest in Munnar region.
It is his habit to leave the country from time to time. Four or five years ago, there was an incident where elephant lovers entered the forest to attack Padayappa, who had not left the forest for six consecutive months. Soon he returned. He made his presence known by unexpectedly entering among the youths who were playing football at Periyavarai Maidan. Recently, KSRTC stopped the bus twice and was in the news.
∙ Catcher group
In Periyakanal, a herd of lynxes is also a threat to the locals. Locals say that it is a herd of wild animals that fear lone elephants. Gangs of pitianas are also dangerous. The Forest Department has concluded that Shaktivel, who was a temporary watcher of the Forest Department, was killed by a herd of lynxes that came on the road near Panniar Estate. Shaktivel was found dead after receiving information that a herd of wild animals was seen with cubs in the area.
English Summary: Operation Arikkomban and Munnar; Explained