Chennai:In a bid to create awareness on wildlife conservation,
11 elephant replices were installed at the famous Edward Elliot’s beach in the city.
The elephant replicas installations were inaugurated by Tamil Nadu Forests
Minister M. Mathiventhan last evening to create awareness among the public
about protection of wild animals.
The elephant replicas are made out of lantana camara, an invasive weed known to deter the growth of other trees and plants in forests.
Over the last seven months, the weed was removed from 1,000 hectares of forests across the state, the Minister said.
The exhibition has been set up to signify the importance of conservation
and co-existence, Supriya Sahu, Additional Chief Secretary Environment,
Climate Change and Forests said.
Highlighting that coexistence is an important aspect of wildlife conservation
and preserving biodiversity, she said “When we talk about coexistence, it’s
also about sharing our planet with every living being and giving them their
rightful share.”
Ms.Sahu said one of the purposes of the exhibition is empowerment of
local communities.
The eleven elephants, which are replicas of living animals, were made
by 70 tribals, part of The Shola Trust, a non-profit organisation at Gudalur
in the Nilgiris district.
It took about six weeks to make each elephant, she added.
The reason for bringing them to Chennai was to enable people, especially
children, living in urban areas to understand wildlife conservation in a better
way, Sahu said.
