Farmers have raised concerns about recurring incidents of wild elephants entering villages in the Thadagam valley and Maruthamalai foothills near Coimbatore, feeding on crops and cattle feeds.
A herd of elephants entered a cattle shed belonging to K. Annapoorni at Annai Indira Nagar at I.O.B. Colony at the Maruthamalai foothills around 3.20 a.m. and feasted on cattle feed and fodder. The elephants also damaged tin sheets to get inside the shed, which is located around 500 metres away from the forest boundary.
A video of the elephants breaking into the shed and feeding on cattle feeds was widely circulated on social media.
Mahalakshmi Manoharan, a farmer from Kalayanur in Thadagam valley, said the recent appeal made by the Forest Department not to stock cattle feed, ration rice, etc in sheds and houses was impractical.
“It is impractical for every farmer to purchase cattle feed or ration rice on every single day. Already farmers are in distress due to crop damages. Buying cattle feed each day is a waste of manpower, money and energy,” she said.
Another farmer, who owns land near Thondamuthur, alleged that the Forest Department staff often do not drive out elephants when they remain inside a farm and eat at peace for long hours.
“The staff hesitate to chase the elephants when they feed on crops inside farms for long hours. If chased, these elephants could enter residential areas and hence they often allow them to feed on crops. If left undisturbed, the elephants themselves vacate the farms when they have enough feed and they do not cause other damages,” alleged a farmer from Thadagam.
Ms. Manoharan claimed that crop raiding and damage by elephants have worsened over the past few years whereas elders like her mother, who was born in the same village, had not seen elephants damaging houses and crops in her young ages.
Forest Department officials said that special teams have been tasked to monitor wild elephants that are regularly coming out of forests.
Published - July 25, 2024 09:09 pm IST
