Anaikatti Escapades: Exploring the Untamed Wilderness and Tranquil Retreats
The scenic forested stretch of Anaikatti, near Tamil Nadu’s boundary with Kerala, may now be on the bucket list for vloggers and riders from both States, but for generations before them, it has been part of a highway for the gentle giants of the Western Ghats, the yaanai (elephants) who inspire the name of the hills they walk. The unchecked growth of resorts and farmhouses in the area, however, is threatening their right to the forest road, and pushing the elephants into dangerous confrontations with villagers.
The road connecting Tamil Nadu’s Coimbatore and Kerala’s Palakkad districts passes through the critical Anaikatti North-Anaikatti South elephant corridor, one of two such passages in Coimbatore district identified by the Wildlife Trust of India as a “high ecological priority” in the second edition of its report titled, Right of Passage: Elephant Corridors of India. However, Anaikatti has not been notified as an elephant corridor by the State government, obstructing conservation efforts. In fact, of the 16 corridors identified by the WTI in Tamil Nadu, only one has been notified by the State.
Coimbatore
