AP foresters have come up with a multi-pronged strategy to check man-animal conflict at the Tirumala walkway following the killing of a six-year-old girl by a leopard and spotting of wild animals in the area.
They would set up a wildlife outpost by converting the existing environment education centre at the 7th mile. This would function round-the-clock. Another step is to install camera traps at a distance of 200 metres each, in the form of a grid. These cameras, at vulnerable places, would be connected to the wildlife outpost for continuous monitoring of movement of wild animals.
Forest personnel are to be posted at a distance of 20 metres, with two persons at each place, all along the 14km walkway to manually watch the movement of wild animals in the area. The forest personnel at these points would alert the TTD if and when they find any wild animals moving in the area.
Based on a request from foresters to arrange additional camera traps, tranquilizing equipment and veterinary doctors at a cost of '1 crore, the TTD agreed to do so.
Foresters noticed that food waste being generated from shops on the hilltop are dumped at odd places, resulting in wild boars coming over to eat it. As a consequence, leopards come to the area to attack and kill wild boars and eat their flesh. Sloth bears are also getting attracted to the waste food, foresters said.
The forest department would urge TTD to reduce the number of shops on the hill top and impose heavy penalties on those who litter the area with a spread of waste food. They would also impose curbs on children from entering the walkway after 6pm, to ensure their safety.
Other plans of the forest department are erection of fencing on either side of the walkway and create an elevated walkway so that the wild animals criss-cross underneath it without coming into conflict with humans.
All these plans are subject to the provisions of Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, foresters say, and maintain that they will be seeking opinions from the Wildlife Institute of India and other premier agencies before executing their plans.
Additional principal chief conservator of forests (wildlife management) Shantipriya Pande said, “We have come up with several plans to ensure protection to pilgrims in the wake of the tragic death of a girl and of wild animals frequenting the Tirumala walkway. Safety of the pilgrims is a prime concern.”
