How to save wildlife and crops too?

By Alladi Jayasri

BANGALORE, AUG. 17. The death of nearly dozen elephants in the Biligirirangaa Betta (B.R.Hills) due to electrocution when they strayed into farmlands in May-June this year has brought into focus the seemingly endless man-animal conflict and the dogmas of putting wildlife before communities.

"How to keep our wildlife and still save the crops from being destroyed by elephants" was the theme that brought farmers and residents of over 35 villages in Chamarajnagar District together at Yelandur on Thursday, to confer and parley with NGOs and Forest Department officials on ways and means to keep the jumbos off their land.

The meeting was unusual in many ways. Not a single farmer who came to relate his woes justified the killings. And everyone had a solution, even impractical ones to keep the beasts away from their precious cane, banana, ragi, and rice.

Mr.Narayanaswamy, a farmer from Dasanahundi village said the stock solution of digging trenches cut no ice with the elephants, because the trenches invariably collapsed and got filled up with mud at the first hint of rain. Solar fencing was a costly proposition, and nobody possessed a rifle in his village to scare the animals away. Even wild boar feasted regularly on the fields, he said.

Mr. M.Sidda Shetty from Kommaranapura village launched into a tirade against the Forest Department which also drew laughter from the audience for the wry manner in which he narrated his plight. The man had apparently lost a field of cane ready for harvesting to a herd of elephants, and he set off to claim compensation from the Forest Department. What happened until the money came into his hands made for a study in tragi-comedy.

He petitioned the range officer claiming losses to the tune of Rs. 20,000. The range officer put down the figure at Rs. 5,000 and forwarded "the file" to his immediate boss. There, the amount was halved and the next higher official put it down at Rs. 1,000, and asked Mr. Sidda Shetty to settle for Rs. 700.

Yet, when elephants were electrocuted on their farmland, the "Principal Chief Conservator of Forests thought it fit to come in person and sit in judgment!" he exclaimed, in rustic Kannada that drew laughter from the gathering.

Then there was Mr. Mallaiah also from Kommaranapura on whose land two elephants went on the rampage, and were killed nine years ago. He and his brothers fought the case all these years, spending near Rs. one lakh, and the matter was finally settled with Mr. Mallaiah being awarded a compensation of Rs. 1,800.

Mr. Rajanna, who had no complaints, but suggestions instead, said a village conservation committee on the lines of a village forest the committee should be set up, making local residents, farmers, the Forest Department and other officials stakeholders in the job of conserving wildlife even while initiating measures to keep them off the fields.

There were also tongue-in-cheek suggestions to fence the forests so that the elephants and wild boar stayed there, and there would be no conflicting claims from farmers on the compensation due to them.

Many range officers, and the Deputy Conservators of Forest, B.R.Hills (Mr. Narayanaswamy) and Bandipur Sanctuary (Mr. Prasad) shared their perspective with the farmers.

The former Environment Secretary and trustee of the Karnataka Vanasamvardhana Trust, Mr. A.N.Yellappa Reddy, suggested the formation of an expert committee headed by prominent farmers from the district, to draft a proposal for submission to the State Government within three weeks.

It will address issues related to conservation of wildlife, and come up with ideas on how farmers can adopt alternative technology, cropping patterns and viable protection measures that will not take a toll on the elephants.

The meeting was organised by the Vanasamvardhana Trust, the Foundation for Ecological Security of India, Anand, Gujarat, the Institute for Natural Resources Conservation, Education, Research and Training, the Vivekananda Girijana Kendra, the Wildlife Awareness Nature Club, and the Wilderness Club.

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