KOZHIKODE: A tusker has come down to the plantation areas at Panoth in the high ranges of Vilangad and extensively destroyed crops on Wednesday. The crops of Binoy Mathew and other farmers were destroyed. The crops include banana, pepper and arecanut. According to the farmers, the tusker has descended from the Kannavam forest in Kannur district.
The estimation of crop loss is yet to be done. Farmers of the high ranges of Vilangad, Naripatta and Vanimel lament that the forest department is doing nothing to save their crops. A few days back, another jumbo had destroyed crops at nearby Mullabath in Kakkatt. Tharippa Mala near Vilangad, Chittari and Kandivathukal in Valayam gram panchayat are the other areas which suffer from wild attacks. Besides elephants, pigs also are a headache for people.
In October, a meeting chaired by the District forest officer (DFO) had decided to erect power fencing in the area to deter the animals. The meeting was convened after much hue and cry from the local residents. "We had more than enough.
It's not only elephants. Wild boars and pigs are also entering our plantations at regular intervals. As the area is isolated and not thickly populated, there is limitation in distracting the animals," lamented Binoy Mathew. The farmers are demanding a permanent solution to the issue.
