S. RAMESH
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| A farmer showing banana crop damaged by elephants at Kunderipallam |
A farmer guarding the crops in his field at Iruttipalayam village was the latest victim of the conflict. The farmer, Rangasamy (40), saw three elephants raiding the crops and attempted to chase them back into the forest with the help of two of his neighbours. But the elephants did not move. Instead, they attacked the farmer and crushed him to death.
On January 3, Chen Nanja (55), a resident of Neithalpuram village near Kadambur, was looking after his cattle grazing near the forests when an elephant attacked him. He suffered serious injuries and died in a hospital in Coimbatore.
A woman resident of Vinoba Nagar, who was returning home from a fair price shop, was killed by an elephant on December 31.
Fear grips the villages close to the forests after these incidents. “We are spending sleepless nights as herds of elephants continue to raid the crops in the fields, causing severe damage, and killing those who stand in their way,” said N. Nanjappan, a farmer in Kunderipallam area. A few days ago, a herd of elephants entered his field and damaged the banana crop.
Farmers in Bhavanisagar, Kadambur, Punjai Puliyampatti, Thalavadi and Thalamalai areas are the worst affected due to frequent intrusions.
Many farmers, who earlier used to guard the crops at night, now avoid doing so. In many places, residents have to be indoors as early as 6 p.m. to avoid being seen by the jumbos.
Shortage of water in the forest and the easy availability of fodder in the forest fringes are the primary reasons that make elephants stray from forest areas. “The poor rainfall has left many water sources in the forests dry and the elephants are coming out in large numbers in search of water and food. Once the elephants come out of their habitat and get used to the food crops, it becomes a habit for them. Farmers grow sugarcane, banana and other crops that attract the elephants and this leads to an increase in the conflict,” a senior forests official points out.
“An adult elephant needs at least 200 to 250 kg of food and 100 to 150 litres of water. Elephants stray out as there is less fodder and water inside the forests,” says Assistant Professor of wildlife biology B. Ramakrishnan.
The measures taken by the Forest department, including elephant proof trenches, did not produce expected results. The solar-powered fencing showed a positive result. “But not all the farmers have installed solar-powered fence,” another forest official said. Wildlife activists said the effective way to minimise the conflict was to remove encroachments on the elephant corridors and change the crop pattern on the forest fringes.
“The communities should be sensitised to the increasing conflict and they should be asked not to cultivate food crops in their fields abutting forests. Without their cooperation, we cannot produce a sustainable solution to the conflict,” says Mr. Ramakrishnan.
Source: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/mammoth-problem-for-farmers-in-sathyamangalam-forests/article4285285.ece
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