Edappalayam, a forest-flanked hamlet in Aryankavu panchayat, has been seeing a sudden spike in the number of rogue elephants. They stray into the farms, households and even the nearby highway feasting on crops and leaving a trail of destruction.
The menace intensified nearly four months back with jumbos making daily visits and it's no isolated incident. With human-wildlife conflict increasing manifold, both conservation measures and livelihoods remain affected in many forest-fringes of late.
“Earlier it used to be wild boars, monkeys and peafowl, but now leopards and elephants have joined the team making our lives miserable. Majority of the residents are farmers and frequent crop-raiding have left them in extreme distress. Apart from the loss of livestock, property damage and injuries sustained during confrontations are also a matter of major concern,” says Binitha Binu, who represents the ward. While several plantation workers from the area were attacked by wild elephants, banana farmers have incurred huge losses with the animals uprooting hundreds of plants ready for harvest.
According to farmers, the options provided by the Forest Department including solar-powered electric fences fall inadequate most times.
“Over the years the elephants have learned how to destroy the fences using tree branches or by removing the poles. Also, the fences require regular maintenance and will stop functioning if any wild vegetation touches it. Though the Rapid Response Team scares away the pachyderms, they come back within hours. Trenching is not possible due to the rocky terrain and the authorities are turning a blind eye to our suffering,” says Raghu, farmer.
While wild boars and monkeys are now seen wandering into villages far off from the woods, peafowl menace is on the rise in many districts.
According to Pathanapuran MLA and former Forest Minister K.B.Ganesh Kumar, a scientific and sustainable strategy is required to tackle the issue.
“In States like Tamil Nadu they have constructed several check dams to make sure that no animal strays in search of water. There also have artificial waterholes inside forests and during summers, they fill it using tankers. In Kerala around 150 check dams were constructed during 2012-13 but we failed to continue that project,” he says.
Adequate water
Mr.Ganesh Kumar adds that if the Department can recreate a habitat with adequate water, fodder grass and other crops palatable to the animals, it will prevent them from straying.
“We have encroached their habitat and we should pay appropriate compensation,” he says.
