COIMBATORE: With migrant workers frequently shifting their residence in Valparai, the forest department is facing challenges in sensitising them to wild animal movement and protect them.
Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR) staff conduct awareness programmes for estate workers, using translators three times in a week, but they feel there is a setback to their efforts to mitigate the conflict as the workers keep shifting.
“The migrant workers are taking our awareness programme lightly, and that’s why human-animal conflict are occurring. For instance, a leopard killed a four-year-old Jharkhand girl at Oosi Malai estate last month as the mother had left the child alone,” an official said.
The official added that a supervisor is stationed for a group of workers and they are allowed to pluck tea leaves only if there is no wild animal movement.
“This is working out well, as recently a supervisor, after noticing a sloth bear near the tea fields, alerted workers who moved to safety.
“A large number of migrant workers are in the hill town.
Suddenly one group goes missing and a new one comes in, and we have to start the awareness programme all over again. We have been creating awareness among workers even during lunch hours. The actual lunch hour is one hour but we have asked for an extra half an hour from estate management to hold the programme,” said a forest department official.
Workers are mostly from West Bengal, Assam, and Bihar, and they come as a family. Apart from raising awareness, the forest department staff has asked the estate authorities to instruct workers to be alert as there will be large scale migration of elephants in the coming months.
When asked if tourists, locals, and migrant workers venture out at night to watch elephants or leopards, etc, the official said ‘no’.
“We appointed staff at night, and have been watching people carefully. Also vehicles are allowed after a complete check at the check post. We have also appointed informers. Moreover, we are also warning the locals to avoid approaching the pathway wherever the elephants roam after 6 pm,” said the official.