K.S.Sudhi
Wildlife authorities are planning to cage and translocate tigers and monkeys that stray into human habitations. The Forest Department has already placed orders for the cages, according to K.B. Ganesh Kumar, Forest Minister.
Each district would be provided sufficient number of cages for trapping and transporting such animals. They would be later released in the wild, he said.
Troops of monkeys had been raiding villages in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, and Palakkad districts of late. Pattazhi and Melala villages of Pathanapuram were recent examples. “The animals forcefully enter houses and help themselves to food,” Mr. Ganesh Kumar said.
V. Gopinath, Chief Wildlife Warden of Kerala, said there were also isolated incidents of the animals attacking people. He added that there had been no proposal for sterilising the animals and thus controlling their population.
Guns missing
Though the Forest Department officials had been claiming that they have enough number of dart guns and tranquilisers for dealing with conflict situations, 12 tranquilising guns, procured during the term of the previous government, had gone missing. The government had issued orders to locate the guns, Mr. Ganesh Kumar said.
Leopard attacks
Wildlife experts warn that the State needs to wake up to the problem of leopard attacks. The recent killing of a child by a leopard at Valparai in Tamil Nadu once again brought the issue of human-leopard conflict to focus in the State. Valparai is just 10 km from the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border.
A study carried out by the wildlife biology wing of the Kerala Forest Research Institute had recorded nine instances of leopards killing cattle and dogs in the forest ranges of Peechi, Palapilly, Pariyaram, Athirapally, and Sholayar in Thrissur in 2010. Though the animals had attacked people in Kerala, no casualty had been reported from here, said E.A. Jayson, who led the study, said.
In Kerala, leopards were sighted mostly in the fringe areas of forest, said P.S. Easa, a wildlife expert.
The animals had strayed into human habitations in Wayanad, Tirur, and Thodupuzha too. He suggested that practice of releasing the trapped animals in Muthanga forest should be discontinued.
According to P.O. Nameer, Associate Professor and Head of the Wildlife Forensic Unit of the Kerala Agricultural University, stray leopards were mostly sighted in human habitations located between the natural habitats of the animals. Though no human casualty had been reported in Kerala, the State needed to step up vigil, he said.
The Union Ministry of Environment and Forest had earlier issued guidelines for managing man-leopard conflict situations. The guidelines should be followed, he said.
Dr. Nameer said that leopards with proven tendencies to attack people should be kept in captivity. They should not be relocated or released to the wild as they were likely to return to their home ranges.
The Hindu,
KOCHI, February 13, 2012
Wildlife authorities are planning to cage and translocate tigers and monkeys that stray into human habitations. The Forest Department has already placed orders for the cages, according to K.B. Ganesh Kumar, Forest Minister.
Each district would be provided sufficient number of cages for trapping and transporting such animals. They would be later released in the wild, he said.
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| Photo: N.A. Nazeer, Courtesy Wikimedia commons |
V. Gopinath, Chief Wildlife Warden of Kerala, said there were also isolated incidents of the animals attacking people. He added that there had been no proposal for sterilising the animals and thus controlling their population.
Guns missing
Though the Forest Department officials had been claiming that they have enough number of dart guns and tranquilisers for dealing with conflict situations, 12 tranquilising guns, procured during the term of the previous government, had gone missing. The government had issued orders to locate the guns, Mr. Ganesh Kumar said.
Leopard attacks
Wildlife experts warn that the State needs to wake up to the problem of leopard attacks. The recent killing of a child by a leopard at Valparai in Tamil Nadu once again brought the issue of human-leopard conflict to focus in the State. Valparai is just 10 km from the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border.
A study carried out by the wildlife biology wing of the Kerala Forest Research Institute had recorded nine instances of leopards killing cattle and dogs in the forest ranges of Peechi, Palapilly, Pariyaram, Athirapally, and Sholayar in Thrissur in 2010. Though the animals had attacked people in Kerala, no casualty had been reported from here, said E.A. Jayson, who led the study, said.
In Kerala, leopards were sighted mostly in the fringe areas of forest, said P.S. Easa, a wildlife expert.
The animals had strayed into human habitations in Wayanad, Tirur, and Thodupuzha too. He suggested that practice of releasing the trapped animals in Muthanga forest should be discontinued.
According to P.O. Nameer, Associate Professor and Head of the Wildlife Forensic Unit of the Kerala Agricultural University, stray leopards were mostly sighted in human habitations located between the natural habitats of the animals. Though no human casualty had been reported in Kerala, the State needed to step up vigil, he said.
The Union Ministry of Environment and Forest had earlier issued guidelines for managing man-leopard conflict situations. The guidelines should be followed, he said.
Dr. Nameer said that leopards with proven tendencies to attack people should be kept in captivity. They should not be relocated or released to the wild as they were likely to return to their home ranges.
The Hindu,
KOCHI, February 13, 2012
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