Now they stay longer, destroy more

A prime target is winter vegetable farms in Idukki

Unlike in the past, wild animals intruding the farmlands are staying there for long, and destroying vast swathes of land, farmers here say. Even if chased into forests, they return in groups in a couple of days. The tea plantations of Munnar are often frequented by wild elephants and local residents usually keep indoors during night. A number of incidents of man-animal conflicts were reported in the plantation areas in the past two years. In ten incidents, human lives were lost. Tea plantations of Munnar, agriculture areas of Kanthallur and Mankulam, and cardamom plantations of Udumbanchola taluk are mostly encroached on by wildlife.

A Forest Department official said sightings of wild elephants had become more frequent. Lack of fodder and water could be a reason, though the forest had ponds to provide drinking water. Climate change could be a factor too, he said.

A good season

By June, wild elephants usually get enough water and fodder inside the forest. However, this season was different and it might have caused their increased presence in the human inhabited areas, he said. However, local people say that during monsoon season they arrive in herds. “The claim that wild elephants keep inside the forest during monsoon is wrong,” said a farmer.

A herd of around 20 wild elephants camped at Vettukadu in Kanthaloor and destroyed winter vegetables. Another herd of 15 wild elephants were sighted at Nayamakadu near Thalayar coffee store on the Munnar-Marayur road. The number of wild gaurs intruding into the cultivated areas of Vettukadu, Aadivayal and Kulachivayal in Kanthaloor has gone up recently, say farmers. Both the gaurs and the elephants cause large scale damage to crops.

No more farming

Frequent animal raids had led to many farmers abandoning vegetable cultivation in the forest fringes of Kanthallur, said Mohandas, a winter vegetable farmer. Severe shortage of fodder and water in the Chinnar wildlife sanctuary, which is going through a drought-like situation, must have prompted wild elephants to move to areas outside the forest, said Forest Department sources. The elephants found fodder in Kundakkadu, near Kanthallur, and stayed there for long, said the official. “Normally, the elephants move back to the Chinnar forest areas after the northeast monsoon,” he said.

“The elephants destroyed vegetable farms and we incurred huge losses,” said Sivakumar, a farmer at Kanthallur. In the day, the elephants stay inside the eucalyptus plantations and raid the crops at night, he added.

In the southwest monsoon period, the forest is rich in fodder and water and wild animals do not venture out. Delayed rains force them to move out, he said.