Elephant interpretation centre at Mettupalayam to promote human – elephant coexistence through community engagement

A building of the elephant interpretation centre ‘Vezham’ on Mettupalayam – Kotagiri Road.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

‘Vezham’, the elephant interpretation centre at Mettupalayam, construction of which remained idle for three years, will be developed as a facility for human–elephant coexistence through community engagement.

With ₹15 lakh allocated towards the project under the Tamil Nadu Biodiversity Conservation and Greening Project for Climate Change Response (TBGPCCR), the Forest Department has resumed work on the centre located at Odanthurai on Kotagiri – Mettupalayam Road.

The Department launched works of ‘Vezham’ in April 2021, and a majority of the works were completed in 2022. However, the project got stalled due to multiple reasons, including lack of funds.

I. Anwardeen, Principal Conservator of Forests and Chief Project Director of TBGPCCR, said that ₹15 lakh was allotted to complete the works under ‘Project Thadam’ of TBGPCCR to upscale the facility as resource for training, sensitisation and awareness activities on various aspects of elephant conservation.

“The facility is conceived to become a centre for capacity building education and outreach under ‘Project Thadam’, which aims to achieve coexistence of humans and elephants through community engagement. The project deals with human dimensions of conflict, where stakeholders will be sensitised on the behavioural aspects of elephants, to how to deal with elephants, etc. Basically, their capacity to deal with conflict will improve through such activities,” he said.

With allocation of fresh funds, interior and exterior design works, repairs and renovations of the already completed structures are being carried out. A ticket counter, toilets and parking facilities for visitors are also required for the facility.

Mettupalayam Forest Range Officer Joseph Stalin said that the centre has installations, specimens, paintings and other informative materials to educate visitors on elephants and their role in the ecology.