KRISHNAGIRI: Various mitigation measures taken in the Hosur forest division have been successful in curbing injuries and casualties in man-animal conflict. In the 2021-22 financial year, the Hosur range recorded no human deaths or injuries.
According to Hosur Forest Ranger R Ravi, "Mitigation measures like erecting steel wire rope fences, solar-powered fences, hanging solar fences for about 58 km in Jawlagiri, Anchetti and Denkanikottai have helped reduce human casualties or injuries, and crop damage. An increase in patrolling by anti-poaching watchers, formation of special teams and awareness programmes have also seen results."
Between 2017-18 and 2020-21, only 12 injuries have been reported in the Hosur range. Of them, eight incidents were between January and March and the rest were in April and November.
From 2011-12 to 2020-21, all years except 2016-18 had human casualties in man-animal conflict. Of the 14 deaths in this period, seven were in the months of January to May, four in December and the rest in May and August. The months between January and May gain importance as it's the harvest season and crop-raiding is prevalent in the bordering areas of the forest range.
Crop damage
As of December 2021 (from April of the same year), the forest department had received only 53 applications for compensation for crop damage from the Hosur forest range, the forest ranger added. In 2016-17, the number of applications was 415; in 2017-18, the number was 300; 2018-19, 387; 2019-20, 274; and 2020-21, 130.
The mitigation measures in the Hosur forest division have diverted the animals to the Urigam forest range, hence increasing the crop damage there. From April to December of 2021, the department received 100 compensation applications from the Urigam range. From 2016-17 to 2019-20, the number of applications was just five. In 2017-18 and 2018-19, there were no applications.
According to Ravi, the Hosur range has 13,000 hectares of forest area and staff members have hardly visited their homes in the past three months. They protected the forest to reduce man-animal conflict and crop damage. Elephant movement will soon reduce in the range. It has many forest patches and the elephants will move to continuous forest via Jawlagiri, Anchetti, Denkanikottai and Urigam forest ranges till Sathyamangalam forest, he added.