chennai forest officials have warned the residents and shops on the forest fringes along coonoor road and parts of mettupalayam against storing or selling jackfruit as its strong smell could attract elephants leading to humananimal conflicts if the people or shops invite wild jumbos by acting against our warnings and suffer losses in the animal attack they wont be eligible for any compensation the forest officials said for the past one week forest officials had been on a drive to chase away hawkers selling jackfruits on the coonoor road near kallar and burliar and border areas of mettupalayam forest range many people sell jackfruits along kallar and burliar as the area witnesses large number of tourists said m nazir mettupalayam forest ranger this could be dangerous because jackfruit is one of the favourite fruits of elephants lured by its strong smell chances of elephants straying into human habitats are very high so if its an elephant herd peoples safety is at risk he added the forest officials have asked all petty shops fruit shops and even households close to the forest fringes not to sell or store the jackfruit we have issued an advisory to all fruit and vegetable shops and even hawkers to stop the sale of jackfruits the jackfruit season coincides with the elephants migratory and mating season nazir said adding if the fruit is stored in shops or houses the jumbos would come in search of the fruit and damage the shops or housesthe residents he said can buy and eat the fruit but if they store large quantities of the fruit at their houses it will pose a huge risk to them having jackfruit trees at houses is also a danger the mettupalayam forest ranger saidhowever the residents and the shops werent restricted from selling any other fruits including watermelon mangoes and gooseberry these fruits do not have strong smell and as such will not attract elephants nazir said