On 22 October 2026, the Tenkasi Forest Division in Tamil Nadu proposed expanding its Golden Jackal Ambassadors programme to include the Madras hedgehog, locally called ‘mulleli’. The programme was launched in 2025 to promote golden jackal conservation through trained students and volunteers.
Community-Based Wildlife Conservation
The expanded programme will train school and college students, volunteers, local youth and villagers to share conservation messages. Forest Guard Brothers and Forest Guard Sisters will be nominated in schools and colleges to conduct regular training. Forest officials will also visit educational institutions and organise awareness activities and data collection in villages. Village Forest Committees will coordinate with students in hamlets near forests.
Madras Hedgehog and Its Habitat
The Madras hedgehog is a spiny, nocturnal mammal. The Tenkasi Forest Division has recorded its presence in Alangulam, Sankarankovil, Sivagiri and Uthumalai, with sightings photo-documented by forest staff. The animal’s population faces pressure from habitat loss, road deaths, illegal hunting and capture for traditional medicines. Public awareness about its conservation is also a stated focus of the programme.
Survey Findings and Conservation Measures
A Tenkasi Forest Division survey recorded 867 people from 38 villages who had spotted Madras hedgehogs; 53% of respondents reported sightings during the monsoon. Tamil Nadu sanctioned ₹1 crore in September 2026 for conservation of four lesser-known endangered species, including the Madras hedgehog, with ₹20.50 lakh allocated to the hedgehog for 2025–2026.
Important Facts for Exams
- The Madras hedgehog is locally known as ‘mulleli’ in Tamil.
- The Tenkasi Forest Division’s survey covered 38 villages.
- The Madras Hedgehog Conservation Project 2025–2026 includes radio-tagging; a tagged hedgehog gave birth in the Peikulam grassland region in October 2026.
- The Tamil Nadu Forest Department began a dedicated study in the Theri forests of Thoothukudi district in January 2026, led by the Advanced Institute for Wildlife Conservation.
Research and Monitoring
The Theri forests study is intended to support a conservation action plan. The Peikulam grassland birth record is being used to gather information on the species’ breeding behaviour.
The expanded ambassador programme covers both the golden jackal and the Madras hedgehog. Its activities include species identification training, public awareness and reporting wildlife sightings.
