Forest department officials stated that cleaning up after tourists remained one of their top priorities, with dedicated eco-sanitary watchers conducting clean-ups across the tiger reserve twice a day, every day
| Photo Credit: M. Sathyamoorthy
In light of the recent video of an elephant calf playing with a liquor bottle in the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR), the Tamil Nadu Forest department has redoubled its efforts to clean up after irresponsible tourists littering the tiger reserve.
The video filmed by a passing visitor on a mobile phone camera shows the elephant calf playing with a discarded liquor bottle. The calf comes close to putting it inside its mouth before it finally discards it and walks away with its herd.
The Forest department officials stated that cleaning up after tourists remained one of their top priorities, with dedicated eco-sanitary watchers conducting clean-ups across the tiger reserve twice a day, every day. C. Vidhya, Deputy Director of MTR (Core Area), told The Hindu that the teams fan out across the reserve, particularly in areas close to the roads, to look for discarded garbage.
Ms. Vidhya added that the nearest government-run liquor outlets from the reserve were in Gudalur and otherwise, in Karnataka. Field Director of MTR, R. Kiruba Shankar, added that while tourists usually discarded empty plastic bottles within the reserve, finding discarded liquor bottles was quite rare. “We have been conducting regular clean-ups, but have intensified efforts since the video came to our notice,” he added.
The Field Director also said that tourists found littering were also being fined by the Forest department to act as a deterrent.
Call to stop the opening of TASMAC outlet
Sources told The Hindu that a proposal to open a government-run liquor shop in the Masinagudi area was being considered. They also stated that there were private bars selling liquor to tourists within the reserve itself.
Conservationists said that the incident of the elephant calf and the liquor bottle highlighted the risks of allowing TASMAC outlets to be opened in and around the reserve. “The government should stop the sale of liquor at the private bar, or at the very least, must ensure that the bar doesn’t allow patrons to bring the bottles outside the premises. Checks on tourist vehicles entering the reserve must also be bolstered, while no TASMAC outlet must be permitted from opening,” a conservationist told The Hindu.
MTR Field Director, R. Kiruba Shankar, said that the Forest department would reassess any proposal for a liquor shop to be opened within the reserve “in light of recent events,” referring to the video of the elephant calf.
Published – January 23, 2025 05:18 pm IST
