Tamil Nadu gets its fifth Elephant Reserve

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TIRUNELVELI, Tamil Nadu: The Government of Tamil Nadu has added a fifth Elephant Reserve to its repository of conservation parks on Friday, August 19. The newly notified reserve will go by the name of Agasthyamalai Elephant reserve.

The official notification stated that the forest areas of the Kanyakumari Wildlife Sanctuary in Agasthyamalai and Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve, together form one of the most important habitats of the Asian elephant in the southern part of the Western Ghat. The creation of an elephant reserve will not only protect the habitat of the endangered species but will also ensure its safety and health on the migratory routes by facilitating research in the above mentioned landscape.

Earlier on July 13, the Government of India approved the creation of the fifth elephant reserve in Tamil Nadu. Later the state government of Tamil Nadu notified the Agasthyamalai Elephant Reserve on August 19. The new elephant reserve is spread over a total area of 1,19,748.26 hectares in the Kanyakumari and Tirunelveli districts. The Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve’s field director has been designated as the field coordinator of the newly constituted elephant reserve.

Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu M K Stalin expressed his happiness about the creation of the elephant reserve through his social media post. He said, “On World Elephant Day 2022, I’m glad that Tamil Nadu gets its fifth Elephant Reserve at Agathiyamalai in Tirunelveli district.” “Elephants play a critical role in balancing the forest ecosystems. The majestic mammals are nature’s assets that we must conserve at all costs.”

Supriya Sahu, Additional Chief Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India tweeted that the state has notified an elephant reserve almost after 20 years.

The Agasthyamalai Elephant Reserve is the 32^nd elephant reserve in India following the Singhpan Elelephant Reserve of Nagaland, which was notified in the year 2018. Nilgiris-Eastern Ghat, Srivilliputhur, Anamalai and Nilambur Silent Valley in Coimbatore are the other elephant reserves in the state.