Forest dept plans more rail fencing at forest fringes to prevent man-elephant conflict

BENGALURU: Attacks by elephants and menace are increasing by the day in many parts of the state as they come out of the forest to inhabited areas in search of food, which, in some cases, leads to loss of human lives. To put a check on this, Forest and Environment Minister Ramalinga Reddy has proposed to take up priority fencing in vulnerable areas.

A couple of weeks ago, Murali Krishna, a resident of Bengaluru, who had gone on a trip with his family, died due to a wild elephant attack in Ponnampet of Kodagu district. The number of people dying year after year due to wild elephant attacks is also increasing. Every year, 40 to 50 cases of wild elephant attacks are being reported.

To put a check on this and to protect people’s lives along with stopping wild elephants from coming to inhabited areas, the government is seriously contemplating fencing in sensitive forest areas and in places where elephant menace is more.

The Forest minister has come forward to put up fencing near villages along edges of forests where elephant attacks have happened and where wild animals come to inhabited areas including Kodagu, Chikkamagaluru, Hassan, Ramanagara, Chamarajanagara, and said that this work will be done in phases.

“Every year, there are about 40-50 cases of elephant attacks, resulting in death. At many places, railway barricade has also been erected and we will take it up in more areas like Kodagu, Hassan, Ramanagara, Channapatna. We will take up rail barricading on priority where the threat is more”, the minister said.

Such incidents happen quite often in villages adjacent to forest. Now the government is resorting to fencing to check all this, and it remains to be seen to what extent it will work out.