Wild animal fear: Forest fringe villages face matchmaking crisis

Frequent news reports about wild animal attacks have created a stigma that has been discriminative and has devastated their lives

- MANOJ VISWANATHAN @Kochi

The social stigma attached to gender bias, casteism, mental illness and poverty has been deeply rooted in our culture. However, the families living on forest fringes are facing another challenge. Frequent news reports about wild animal attacks have created a stigma that has been discriminative and has devastated their lives.

"The families are not ready to discuss the issue, but people are selling their landholdings at modest rates and migrating to towns nearby. But there are poor families with small landholdings who have no other option but to battle the wild animals and live in poverty. Who will dare marry off their daughters to areas where elephants and tigers roam freely?" asks Catholic Congress global director Fr Philip Kaviyil.

Real estate value has crashed, he says.

"It is not a simple issue. During Christmas, I visited a hamlet in Kannur where people said wild elephants are roaming the village day and night. However, they don't want to discuss the issue in public as it will affect their social lives. People have stopped venturing out after nightfall. Churches in forest fringe areas witnessed a lean crowd for Christmas midnight mass due to a fear of wild animals," he says.