COIMBATORE: In a meeting with farmers, held in Thadagam onThursday as part of efforts to mitigate negative interaction with wild animals, Coimbatore forest range officer Thirumurugan said more personnel would be deployed and provided with enough vehicles to drive away wild elephants that enter human habitations.
A farmer Anandakumar of PN Palayam rued that their night life has crippled, and people cannot return home work without the fear of encountering an elephant. Even ambulance drivers are afraid of coming to our area during night hours, he added.
Jayaprakash, a farmer from Thadagam, said conflict rate is very high at Thadagam and appealed to forest department to prevent animals from entering farm lands.
Prabhu, state organiser of Vivasayikal Sangam from Nanjundapuram, demanded enhanced compensation for crop damage. “Currently, Rs 100 is given for one banana tree damaged and Rs 500 for coconut tree. This should be raised to Rs 400 and Rs 5,000 respectively,” he said.
“It’s do or die situation for the farmers in Thadagam unless some mitigation measures are undertaken and we would be the last generation in Thadagam Valley if these problems are not addressed at the earliest” said prabhu
In response, Thirumurugan said the department installed two thermal cameras at PN Palayam and Ponnuthuamman temple and are monitoring elephants and alerting the field level staff in the last one week.
Meanwhile, forest officials instructed HRCE officials in Maruthamalai to raise awareness after leopard movement was caught on camera by one of the devotees heading on the road, on Thursday evening.