Forest Department’s special highway patrol team drives away elephants to prevent interceptions of sugarcane-laden lorries

With incidents of wild elephants waylaying sugarcane-laden lorries in the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve (STR) on the rise in the recent weeks, the Hasanur Forest Range of the Hasanur Division has deployed a special highway patrol team to drive the pachyderms back into the forest.

The 27-km stretch of the Dindigul-Mysuru National Highway (NH 948) traverses the reserve between the Bannari and Karapallam forest check-posts. Sugarcane cultivated in Thalavadi and Karnataka’s Chamarajanagar district is transported daily by lorries to a private sugar mill in Sathyamangalam. Since the harvesting season began last month, interceptions by elephants have become frequent.

Drivers recounted that the elephants obstruct carriageways, tear open tarpaulin covers, and pull out sugarcane bundles before retreating into the forest. A driver from Thalavadi recalled being forced to halt when an elephant stood on his way. “It grabbed a bunch of cane and vanished into the forest,” he said.

A Forest Department officer at STR said that, on an average, 1,200 to 1,300 vehicles pass through the Karapallam check-post every day, including 650 to 700 lorries. Of the 150 to 170 lorries transporting sugarcane daily, about 60 to 70 come from Thalavadi while the rest are from Karnataka. The officer said herds numbering more than 15, including a tuskless male (makhna), are habitually sighted along the highway. One group is seen between the State border at Punajanur in Karnataka and Karapallam, another group of six elephants along the Karapallam-Hasanur 7-km ghat section, and a third near Bannari.

Most incidents occur between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m., soon after cane-laden lorries begin their journey. The Forest Department had earlier mandated that drivers to cover loads with tarpaulin, a measure in force since October 2024. In addition, lorries from Thalavadi are sprayed with a non-toxic, eco-friendly compound formulated to camouflage the scent of sugarcane.

However, officials admitted that elephants have quickly adapted and that the measures have had only marginal effect. “Though we chase them away, they re-emerge at another point on the highway,” the officer said, adding that the animals confine their raids to sugarcane and have not endangered humans.

Viral videos attract tourists

The officer further said the private sugar mill had assured that harvesting in the region would conclude within 10 days, which may bring temporary relief to commuters and lorry operators. Meanwhile, videos of elephants intercepting lorries have gone viral on social media, drawing tourists to Hasanur. Officials warned that such visits heighten the risk of human–animal conflict.