S. HARPAL SINGH
The fishing nets used by farmers in the hilly and forested areas of Adilabad to protect crops from monkeys have brought doom for birds in the wild. Though the tall plastic nets erected along the perimeter of agriculture fields have deterred simians from raiding standing crops, these are acting as snares for unsuspecting birds.
Tens of birds like the shikra, owl, partridge, quail and pigeon can be found entangled in the mesh in fields in Udumpur and Alampalli in Kadem mandal. The loss may seem to be negligible in terms of harm to the eco system, but conservationists are worried that the phenomenon could take the shape of poaching of birds in the garb of protecting crops.
“We hardly have a role to play when it comes to protecting crops from monkeys,” reveals Jannaram Wildlife Division Forest Officer G. Rama Krishna Rao, who also looks after the Kawal Tiger Reserve, as he explains the gamut to The Hindu . “Respective gram panchayats or other local bodies concerned, need to take care of the problem by sterilising the simians in the area to control their population by obtaining necessary permission from the State Chief Wildlife Warden,” he adds. Donthula Shravan Kumar, a farmer from Udumpur says the menace has surfaced two years back when hundreds of monkeys from elsewhere were released into the forests. “After losing much crop initially we experimented with fencing the fields with nets and found it an effective means of controlling monkey invasions”, the farmer recalls.
Meanwhile, the Wildlife Forest Division at Jannaram will implement a new plan to erect fencing around fields to control crop damage by wild boars which is the most troublesome of the problem. The initial fencing will be done at a cost of Rs. 40 lakh in the next financial year, according to Mr. Rama Krishna Rao.
“The low chain link fence goes about 20 cm deep inside the soil too to prevent wild boars from digging the earth and entering fields,” the DFO reveals. “We will enlist farmers who need such protection for their crops soon,” he adds.
Source: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-andhrapradesh/crop-shield-spells-doom-for-birds/article4556553.ece
Plastic nets erected along the perimeter of agriculture fields by farmers to protect their crops from monkeys are turning as snares for birds
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| Skewed protection:A bird trapped in a fishing net put up to protect agricultural field from monkeys, in Udumpur village of Kadem mandal in Adilabad. -PHOTO: S. HARPAL SIngh |
Tens of birds like the shikra, owl, partridge, quail and pigeon can be found entangled in the mesh in fields in Udumpur and Alampalli in Kadem mandal. The loss may seem to be negligible in terms of harm to the eco system, but conservationists are worried that the phenomenon could take the shape of poaching of birds in the garb of protecting crops.
“We hardly have a role to play when it comes to protecting crops from monkeys,” reveals Jannaram Wildlife Division Forest Officer G. Rama Krishna Rao, who also looks after the Kawal Tiger Reserve, as he explains the gamut to The Hindu . “Respective gram panchayats or other local bodies concerned, need to take care of the problem by sterilising the simians in the area to control their population by obtaining necessary permission from the State Chief Wildlife Warden,” he adds. Donthula Shravan Kumar, a farmer from Udumpur says the menace has surfaced two years back when hundreds of monkeys from elsewhere were released into the forests. “After losing much crop initially we experimented with fencing the fields with nets and found it an effective means of controlling monkey invasions”, the farmer recalls.
Meanwhile, the Wildlife Forest Division at Jannaram will implement a new plan to erect fencing around fields to control crop damage by wild boars which is the most troublesome of the problem. The initial fencing will be done at a cost of Rs. 40 lakh in the next financial year, according to Mr. Rama Krishna Rao.
“The low chain link fence goes about 20 cm deep inside the soil too to prevent wild boars from digging the earth and entering fields,” the DFO reveals. “We will enlist farmers who need such protection for their crops soon,” he adds.
Source: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-andhrapradesh/crop-shield-spells-doom-for-birds/article4556553.ece
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