Nilgiris Tahr Interpretation Centre to come up at Gandhipuram

An Nilgiris Tahr Interpretation Center will be opened on five-cent land in the Coimbatore Central Jail campus, right next to Semmozhi Poonga.

Last year, for the first time, a census of the Nilgiris Tahr population was conducted in 13 routes spread across 140 places. The population of Tamil Nadu was 1,031 Nilgiris Tahr.

In the census conducted for the second time this year, 14 settlements belonging to Nilgiris Tahr were captured and around 1,303 Nilgiris Tahr were detected in 175 places, thus an increase of 272 Nilgiris Tahr was realized.

The highest of 334 Nilgiris Tahrs were detected in Anamalai Grass Hills and 1,352 Nilgiris Tahrs were detected in Kerala. Thus, the total of Tamil Nadu and Kerala amounts to 2,655 Nilgiri Tahr. In Coimbatore Forest Division, Madukkarai and Booluvampatti forest areas accounted for a sizeable population.

It is said that in these two districts, the Nilgiris Tahr population is in Chinnattu Malai and Periyattumalai, while in the Booluvampatti forest district, the population is in Kunjiranmudi, Kurudi Malai and Velliangiri hills and in the newly concluded census, there is a maximum of nine Nilgiris Tahr population.

For the Nilgiris Tahr population to increase, the presence of exotic species needs to be addressed and grassland sholas need to be created. Six locations were determined for this purpose.

The proposed Interpretation Center on the Nilgiris Tahr at five centers in Gandhipuram will disseminate information about the lifestyle of the Nilgiris Tahr and the measures initiated to protect its population.