The three-member expert team from the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun, comprising K. Ramesh, Ashutosh Singh and Prashant Mahajan, which has inspected the Alipiri-Tirumala footpath in the last two days, has underlined the need for adopting a multi-pronged approach to avoid the man-animal conflict and ensure the safety of the trekking pilgrims.
According to Dr. Ramesh, fencing the footpath route alone is not the solution. Ensuring the free movement of animals in the wild is everyone’s responsibility, he opines.
He is of the view that animal incursions on the footpath can be avoided by constructing aerial routes and underpasses at specified points.
“There is a need for allowing the devotees to trek in batches and adopting technology to avoid possible man-animal conflict,” he says.
The team members have inspected the areas prone to animal attacks.
Forest officials accompanied the team members during their inspections.
