Coimbatore, June 6 : Anticipating a rise in human-wildlife interactions with the onset of the southwest monsoon, the Gudalur Forest Division in Tamil Nadu has intensified surveillance and conflict-prevention measures across vulnerable villages in the Nilgiris district.

The Forest Department has deployed local youths, additional patrol vehicles and thermal drones in areas that frequently witness wildlife intrusion during the rainy season. The move is aimed at preventing wild elephants and other animals from entering human habitations, a recurring challenge in the hill region during the monsoon months.

As part of the initiative, 40 youths from villages prone to human-wildlife conflict have been engaged to assist forest personnel in monitoring elephant movements and alerting local communities. The youths are helping officials track animal movement and take preventive steps to stop elephants from straying into residential areas.

To strengthen field operations, three additional patrol vehicles have been brought from Mudumalai to support elephant-driving activities and emergency response efforts in conflict-prone zones.

Forest officials believe the enhanced mobility will help teams respond more quickly whenever elephants are sighted near settlements. Thermal drones are also being deployed extensively across forest ranges to monitor wildlife movement, particularly during the night and early morning hours when elephant activity is at its peak.

Information gathered through drone surveillance is being used to alert nearby villages whenever elephants or other large animals are detected close to human settlements.

The Forest Department has advised residents living along forest fringes to avoid unnecessary travel during late-night and early-morning hours and to remain vigilant during the monsoon season. The intensified surveillance comes amid continuing concerns over human-wildlife conflict in western Tamil Nadu.

In a recent incident in Erode district, Kalan, a 60-year-old farmer of Ramarana village under the Thalamalai forest range of the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve, lost his life after encountering a wild elephant near his cattle shed late at night.

Forest officials said the man is believed to have come face-to-face with the animal in poor visibility conditions. The elephant reportedly attacked him before moving away from the area. The body was later recovered and sent to the Government Hospital in Sathyamangalam for post-mortem examination.

The incident has once again highlighted the challenges faced by forest-fringe communities and the importance of strengthening monitoring and early-warning systems during the monsoon, when wildlife movement often increases across the region.

/IANS