Arikomban's return unlikely due to gaps in forest cover, lack of incentive: Dr EK Eswaran

Kerala seems lost in the escapades of the wild tusker Arikomban now released by the forest department in the Periyar tiger reserve. At the time of publishing this story, reports said the tusker was spotted in the adjacent Meghamalai forest in Tamil Nadu.

The elephant, which had over time developed a strong liking for rice stored at wayside ration shops, in areas adjacent to the forest, was translocated from Idukki's Chinnakanal to the Periyar tiger reserve on April 30. He had been making life miserable for himself and the residents of Chinnakanal for three decades - raiding houses and ration stores in search of grains, besides allegedly trampling to death at least seven persons.

Onmanorama spoke to Kerala's former Chief Forest Veterinary Officer Dr EK Eswaran to know more about the process of translocation of wildlife, its success rate and the issue of rising man-animal conflict in the state.

“Periyar reserve is better suited to serve Arikomban's needs. Since the connectivity between Periyar and Munnar through forest cover is limited, the probability of the tusker's return is unlikely. Kumily has a huge gap in forest cover. Besides the cardamom plantations en route are also likely to hinder the tusker's return,” Dr Eswaran said.

Eswaran feels as a male elephant, Arikomban had no incentive to return to Chinnakanal.

“Male elephants usually migrate in search of new habitats and mate with new female elephants. It has no incentive to go back,” he said.

However, the veterinarian said the success rate of translocation is low as wild animals often find it difficult to adapt to the new habitat. In most cases, translocated animals return to the original habitat or create a ruckus in the new habitat. The adaptation depends on the new habitat - the terrain, vegetation, and availability of food.

Why translocation is challenging
“Each translocation operation is invariably different. It is affected by location, the nature of the animal and other wild animals in the habitat. Chinnakanal area was challenging as it had very few motorable routes,” Eswaran said.

The doctor further clarified that the multiple tranquiliser doses administered on the tusker were nothing out of the ordinary.

“Though humans classify all drugs administered to animals as tranquillisers, this is not the reality. There are different types of tranquiliser drugs. The sedation for dissociative drugs like xylazine lasts for 45 minutes. The effect begins to wear off after 50 minutes. We provide booster doses to increase the sedation,” he said comparing it to a local anaesthesia administered on humans during longer surgeries.

The doctor also said that it is essential to transport wild animals in a standing position: “Gas could accumulate in their stomach when they lie down; this could affect their respiration and blood circulation.”

Are radio collars effective?
“Radio collar is a scientific method used to track exact movement of animals. It works like a walkie-talkie in the form of a collar,” Dr Eswaran told Onmanorama.

According to Dr Eswaran, the device operates on low power as it cannot be recharged frequently.

 “The radio collar has two transmitters. One for satellite tracking and other for terrestrial tracking. Signals are weak during overcast weather and in places with thick forest cover. This is nothing to be worried about,” he said.

The signals generated automatically are relayed to the satellite. The manufacturer of the radio collar receives signal at regular intervals. The manufacturer separates the data from other information from the satellite.

Man-animal conflict 
According to the Kerala forest department's statistics, wild elephants were responsible for a majority of the crop damage incidents between 2013-14 and 2018-19. On the one hand, poor households live on the fringes of forests tackling wild animal attacks almost every day. On the other, wild animals struggle to find food and water in shrinking forests and the ensuing fallout of the climate crisis.

According to Dr Eswaran, animals leave the forest cover when water resources shrink inside their natural habitat.

“Non-availability of food is not the issue. Scarcity of water however remains a key problem. Even humans settle near water bodies. Animals are no different,” he said.

Climate change has altered many features around forests including succulence of vegetation, types of diseases plaguing animals and so forth.

“Animals have the ability to estimate the nutritional value of their food. They need macro and micronutrients as well.” the former vet told Onmanorama.

“They are forced to venture out of forests when they fail to find adequate nutrition or are affected by diseases,” he said calling for a comprehensive study into the disease patterns.

Changing land use patterns, tourism projects, and linear development plans have also affected wildlife. “Even if quarries are limited to an area due to buffer zone restrictions, the noise is disturbing the wild animals,” Dr Eswaran explained.

While advocating peaceful coexistence of humans and wild animals, the former chief vet called for a better crop insurance policy and adequate compensation mechanism for people living in the fringes of forests.