Daijiworld Media Network - Beltangady (SP)

Beltangady, Oct 7: Farmers from this region have in the recent past, started leaning towards paddy crops. However, even after they get a good crop, wild animals and birds pose them a serious challenge when the paddy is ready to be harvested.

The scale of problems created by wild animals in villages like Mittabagilu, Didupe, Kukkavu etc located at the border of Kudremukh Wildlife forest, have worried the people of these villages. Several rural families which had shifted base to towns to indulge in business have returned to rural areas to take up cultivation again. They plan to raise paddy crops as even the department of agriculture and Shri Kshetra Dharmasthala Rural Development Project have been extending encouragement for paddy crops.

But the menace of animals like peacocks, pigs, monkeys, antelopes, rabbits, deers, rats and wild elephants has worsened manifold. Therefore, the family members are forced to be on watch duty in their fields. Unless the animals are driven away, half of the harvests are sure to be consumed or destroyed by them.

There are 140 paddy fields in Mittabagilu village. However, the problem of wild elephants is more in places like Makki, Parla, Ilyarakanda, Bailu Badanaje, Kadthimukeru, Malla, Kadamagundi etc. Agricultural experts say that the animals get lured to raiding the crops as they get ready food.

Tyagaraj range forest officer Beltangady, says that there is a provision to assess the loss and pay compensation if wild animals feast on the crops. He said that there is permission to set install solar fences to protect crops for which forest department provides 50 per cent subsidy.