ERODE: The forest department has sent its recommendations for the restoration of abandoned quarries in Talavadi, under the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve (STR), which have turned into hiding places for leopards.
Leopards hiding in abandoned stone quarries, located adjacent to Soosaiyapuram village in Talavadi, have been killing livestock, which has been a persistent problem for villagers for several years. The villagers have been pushing for a permanent solution to this problem.
S Kannaiyan, president of the Talavadi Farmers' Association, said, "This problem has persisted for a long time. Since they are abandoned quarries, there is no human movement there. Due to the absence of human movement, those quarries serve as hiding places for leopards."
"We are urging the district administration and forest department to jointly form a technical committee to discuss and handle this matter. The leopards did not come to the stone quarries on their own. Here, garbage and meat waste are dumped in areas adjacent to the forest. Wild boars come to eat them. The leopards followed them," he said.
"Measures must be taken to ensure proper solid waste management, and relief must be provided to farmers and villagers who have lost their livestock in leopard attacks," he added.
A senior official of the forest department said, "There are about 10 private quarries, abandoned about 10 years ago, located close to each other. There are also piles of stones there. They are like small caves, so leopards hide in them. This structure poses a major obstacle for us in preventing them from cooping up inside."
"Based on our monitoring via surveillance cameras, there are about three to five leopards in there. As a temporary measure, we have currently installed a wildlife animal movement sensor system. It will sound an alarm when leopards cross, alerting us and the farmers. Besides, the noise would startle the leopard and prevent it from moving further. We are also working towards a permanent solution to this problem," the official added.
"The forest department has sent recommendations to the district administration on the abandoned stone quarries for restoration and reclamation," said Yogesh Kumar Garg, deputy director of STR (Hasanur Forest Division).