The sleepy hamlet of Vaaruchal on the boundary of the Rajampara forests at Ranni is in the grip of fear of wild beasts.
The killing of forest watchman A.S. Biju by a wild tusker that strayed into the area on Wednesday afternoon is the latest such incident. Though the Forest Task Force managed to detract the lone wild tusker to the forests late in the night after a series of attempts, the villagers fear the return of the wild pachyderm.
Rapid force
Forest Rapid Response Force teams are camping in the locality to extend a helping hand to the people in case of an eventuality.
The 41-year-old tribal forest watchman was gored to death while he was trying to detract the elephant to the forests.
A farmer, K.P. Paulose, was injured in a wild elephant attack in the forenoon when he was working in his rubber plantation in the adjoining village of Kadumeenchira. Mr. Paulose had a narrow escape from the wild beast’s attack and has been admitted to the taluk hospital in Ranni.
There are unconfirmed reports of spotting of a wild tusker somewhere near Kattickal on Thursday. But, sources deny it.
Wild animals straying into human habitations along forest boundaries has become common in Konni and Ranni during summer months. The spontaneous reaction of the panicky people to ensure their protection often results in the death of many wild animals too.
Changes in ecosystem
The rapid changes taking place in the forest ecosystem, mainly owing to excessive human intervention and climate change, have been leading to frequent straying of wild animals into human habitations in recent times.
Villagers say instances of leopards, king cobras, wild elephants, etc., straying into the villages along the forest fringes of Ranni and Konni have become more frequent during summer.
Experts attribute this to the acute water scarcity and shortage of food inside the forests during the summer months. Excessive human interventions in the forests have led to depletion of green cover in many areas.
The mushrooming of granite quarries from hills bordering the forests has been causing drastic changes in the forest ecosystem, forcing the fauna to stray from their natural habitats, say experts.
Unscrupulous quarrying of rocks has reportedly resulted in drastic depletion of the groundwater table in the region, drying up of many fresh water sources inside the forests, forcing the fauna to stray into the adjoining villages where they could get water and domesticated animals as prey.
It is also a fact that the Forest Department is yet to be properly equipped to face the challenges posed by ferocious wild animals straying into human habitation.
