T’puram: The state forest department will get two elephant ambulances from Vantara, Gujarat, under its corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative to transport elephants safely, forest minister Shibu Baby John said.Elephant ambulances are custom-made heavy-duty trucks that have special ramps, hydraulic platforms and onboard medical equipment that help veterinarians monitor the animals and give medical care when they are transported.The minister and a team of senior forest officials will visit Vantara this week. However, he did not confirm whether the team will discuss any tie-ups in wildlife management.Vantara has a fleet of such ambulances that are meant for elephant rescue and transportation. These are ideal for long distance movement of the animals.The state needs such vehicles because elephants are currently transported in trucks, with the animals confined within crudely tied wooden poles.A forest department official said it is difficult to load wild elephants onto conventional trucks, causing them considerable stress and risking injury.Though the forest department has been meeting panchayat presidents, local-body representatives and MLAs in forest-fringe areas to promote coexistence over conflict, residents have repeatedly demanded that elephants entering villages be relocated to the forest.In the past, there have been several instances in which the department had captured and moved elephants that came into conflict with humans and also those that required medical attention.Arikomban remains the most prominent instance of the department translocating a wild elephant from a conflict zone in Idukki to interior of Periyar Tiger Reserve in 2023.Fresh demands have been made to translocate two elephants trapped in a forested area of Aralam Farm after human habitation blocked their corridor. However, the forest department has not responded to the proposal.Central guidelines say that priority must be given to rehabilitating captured elephants back into the wild.Such requests have made the forest department consider a plan to translocate wild elephants and other wild animals from human-wild life conflict zones using helicopters.“We had a discussion with the air force on the feasibility of air lifting. But it is yet to be decided,” said Baby John.However, that will require some minimal ground infrastructure including a temporary helipad which may not be possible in forest fringe areas, said a defence official.
