Hyderabad: Unless food wastage is controlled, the city cannot beat the bandicoot menace, as it is directly related to wastage, state experts.
Approximately, Hyderabad wastes food worth Rs 25 crore every month, which is feeding pests including stray animals. Ironically, none of the Telangana state’s departments, GHMC or the Forest, has a policy to deal with the bandicoot menace.
Unlike the Brihan-Mumbai Municipal Corporation, that has a separate “bandicoot control” wing for Mumbai, TS’ biggest municipal corporation has no policy and does not take responsibility of bandicoots spoiling many tax payer’s homes. The GHMC does not know the present bandicoot count in the city, which is rapidly increasing.
From up-market areas to vegetable markets, the entire city is facing bandicoot menace. Even the poison is ineffective. As per the Wildlife Act, bandicoots fall under schedule 5 — vermin which can be killed — so the Forest department is not bothered.
While the Veterinary wing of GHMC is only bothered about stray dogs and monkeys and has sidelined snakes, cats and cattle. People are left to battle it out on their own and depend on poison and traps. However, there hasn’t been much relief.
C. Srinivasulu, assistant professor, zoology, Osmania University explained, “Bandicoots are large-bodied rats. These big rats usually prefer to live in human dominated or influenced habitation. They are very common in areas where abundant food is available. They are mostly found at railway stations, markets, food godowns, kitchens and dumping yards. Bandicoots are prolific breeders with four production cycles in a year which means one pair of bandicoots can produce two dozen young ones a year. Their growth is quick, within the first few months of birth they become independent; because of their size they do not have any natural predators.”
Even dogs don’t fight with bandicoots. “With lack of natural predators in the urban eco-system, their count is rapidly increasing; the only predator would be human beings,” added the assistant professor.
Bandicoots are one of the biggest problems in the urban ecosystem. Years ago, cities like Mumbai and Surat faced the outbreak of Bubonic plague, which had killed many people.
The reported reason was the unchecked population increase of bandicoots and other rats in the urban system, which had forced the municipal corporation to have a control department on rodent menace. Yet the urban managers in Greater Hyderabad have not learnt a lesson.
