Forest Range Officer appointed for Kozhikamuthi elephant camp

A Forest Range Officer (FRO) has been appointed exclusively for the Kozhikamuthi elephant camp in the Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR), one of the oldest of its kind in the country.

Kozhikamuthi is located near Top Slip, surrounded by moist deciduous forest and teak woods, in Ulandy forest range limits of ATR. The camp earlier functioned under the supervision of FRO, Ulandy, with a Forester in-charge of it.

Forest Department sources said that FRO T. Suseendranath was appointed exclusively for the camp recently, after the renovation of the camp and establishment of Tamil Nadu’s second dedicated village for mahouts, which was inaugurated by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on October 6, 2025. The mahout village has 47 staff quarters for mahouts and cavadis (assistants).

They said that the appointment of an FRO for the camp will further improve efficient functioning of the camp, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Pollachi Forest Division of ATR. The FRO will report to ATR Field Director D. Venkatesh and Deputy Director Devendra Kumar Meena.  

The camp currently houses 23 adult elephants and two calves – a three-month-old calf brought from the Madukkarai forest range on January 10 and another aged over one that was brought from Sirumugai forest range on June 13, 2025. The adult elephants include kumkis (trained male elephants) that are used for various operations of the Forest Department, including driving out and capturing wild elephants.

The camp staff, along with mahouts and their family members from Malasar tribal community celebrated Elephant Pongal for the camp elephants on the day of Mattu Pongal on January 16.