COIMBATORE: Forest department staff has pasted ‘man-animal conflict awareness posters’ in Villages at Sirumugai forest range in Coimbatore forest division.
According to District forest officer Venkatesh, following severe drought inside forest and recent forest fires animals like elephants, deer, leopard, bear and many reptiles have started to move out of the forest in search of fodder and water.
Many elephants have moved out of the forest and remains near the human habitat in Sirumugai range that frequently enters farmland and ravages the crops during night hours.
In order to avoid man-animal conflicts a team led by Sirumugai ranger Manoharan had started to distribute awareness handbills and involved in
pasting posters at strategic points across the villages in Sirumugai, calling upon people not to venture alone after 6 pm following
the elephant herds movement.
The department has also requested the villagers not to pelt stones on elephant herds in case of entering human habitats which would trigger anger and result in man-animal conflicts.
People were also advised to avoid poaching deers while they enter farmland in search of water, added the DFO.
