Ooty Tribals Hit the Streets Over Escalating Man-Animal Conflict
Madesh Kuttan, president of the Toda Tribal Community Welfare Association, said that in the past one year two tribesmen were killed by tigers in the Ooty region.
Ooty:The federation of tribal associations in Ooty hit the streets on Monday seeking action to tackle the increasing man-animal conflicts in tribal settlements. They condemned the forest department for giving a short shrift to the tribal communities.
Madesh Kuttan, president of the Toda Tribal Community Welfare Association, said that in the past one year two tribesmen were killed by tigers in the Ooty region. In both cases, the foresters failed to capture the tiger, leaving the remote hamlets in perennial fear. Though the tribes had been demanding government jobs to the victim’s families in these two cases, the forest department and the government have not heeded.
In recent months the tribal farmlands in and around Sholur and nearby areas have suffered heavily due to the crop-raiding wild jumbos. No action had been taken yet to check the stray elephants entering the tribal farmlands or provide compensation.
Despite the orders of the high court, the foresters have not removed the exotic trees in the grazing lands in and around the tribal hamlets, he added.
