5 months ago
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A Forest Range Officer (FRO) has been appointed exclusively for the Kozhikamuthi elephant camp successful the Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR), 1 of the oldest of its benignant successful the country.
Kozhikamuthi is located adjacent Top Slip, surrounded by moist deciduous wood and teak woods, successful Ulandy wood scope limits of ATR. The campy earlier functioned nether the supervision of FRO, Ulandy, with a Forester in-charge of it.
Forest Department sources said that FRO T. Suseendranath was appointed exclusively for the campy recently, aft the renovation of the campy and constitution of Tamil Nadu’s 2nd dedicated colony for mahouts, which was inaugurated by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin connected October 6, 2025. The mahout colony has 47 unit quarters for mahouts and cavadis (assistants).
They said that the assignment of an FRO for the campy volition further amended businesslike functioning of the camp, which falls nether the jurisdiction of the Pollachi Forest Division of ATR. The FRO volition study to ATR Field Director D. Venkatesh and Deputy Director Devendra Kumar Meena.
The campy presently houses 23 big elephants and 2 calves – a three-month-old calf brought from the Madukkarai wood scope connected January 10 and another aged implicit one that was brought from Sirumugai wood scope connected June 13, 2025. The big elephants see kumkis (trained antheral elephants) that are utilized for assorted operations of the Forest Department, including driving retired and capturing chaotic elephants.
The campy staff, on with mahouts and their household members from Malasar tribal community celebrated Elephant Pongal for the campy elephants connected the time of Mattu Pongal connected January 16.
