MALAPPURAM: People living near forest boundaries of Nilambur and adjoining areas are bracing up to grapple with wild animals as they are on the prowl damaging properties and agricultural fields in the area over the past few days. A wild tusker which strayed into a residential area near Nilambur town on Friday had caused panic among people and damaged properties before being driven back to forest by the forest guards. Four such incidents were reported from Edakkara, Erumamunda and Mampad during the past two weeks. It was for the first time a tusker was sighted in Muttikkadavu near Chungathara last week.
The wild animals straying out of the forests in some of these areas had happened in the past too. However, experts and forest officials point out some other reasons linked to drought. “The drought and other disturbances in the forests are suspected to have forced the wild animals, especially elephants, to increasingly stray out of forests,” says Dr P.S. Esa, member of National Board for Wildlife. He said that each case has to be treated and examined separately to trace out the cause of wildlife movement to human habitation. The disturbances in the movement paths of the elephants could be one of the reasons.
Besides this, drought in the water sources and wild fire spreading across the forests in neighboring states would also drive animals towards human habitation. This may also mount pressure on forests of Wayanad as the wildlife may move to this area, he said. “We have to keenly watch satellite images of the deep forests to find out the kinds of disturbances. Estates inside the forest have also become hurdle in the movement paths of elephants,” he said.
