Farmers want permanent solution to man-animal conflict

Farmers in the district today urged the authorities to find a permanent solution for preventing wild animals entering the agriculture land, resulting in destruction of crops, leading to financial loss.
During a meeting organised by Forest Department with the farmer community on man-animal conflict here, the aggrieved farmers said they were financially hit due to frequent damages to the crops by wild animals, particularly elephants, wild boar, pea cock and also parrots.
Despite changing the cropping pattern, the animals frequented the fields and destroyed them and majority of the farmers are staying in the farm to protect the crops from them, round the clock, he said.

Majority of the farmers wanted the department to erect Elephant Proof Trenches along the Western Ghats, to prevent pachyderms entering human habitation.
President of Farmers Association, S Palanisamy urged the department to ensure food and water to the wild animals inside the forest area, which was the main reason for the elephants entering the human habitation.
In his remarks, District Forest Officer, S Ramasubramaniam said that the department alone can not prevent the man animal conflict and the the farmers or public should immediately alert the forest officials, one the elephant entered the fields, so that man can be deployed to scare away the animals.

He also advised that the public should indulge in chasing away the wild elephants, which would be fatal, as was witnessed many instances.