As tiger attack sparks fear & debate, distressed farmers seek translocation

LESS than a month into the new year, the state has lost four lives in wild animal attacks.

- MANOJ VISWANATHAN @Kochi

LESS than a month into the new year, the state has lost four lives in wild animal attacks. The death of Radha, a tribal woman, in a tiger attack at Pancharakolli in Wayanad has spread fear in the high ranges. This followed the caging a week ago of a tiger that had terrorised the Pulpalli area. On Saturday, a leopard was captured in Koodaranji, Kozhikode. Vijayan, a farmer from Kanjikode, Palakkad, is fighting for his life at Thrissur medical college hospital after being attacked by a wild elephant.

Desperate over the loss of lives, farmers are demanding the translocation of tigers from overpopulated wildlife sanctuaries.

With summer at the doorstep, waterbodies in the forest have started shrinking, forcing wild animals to enter human habitations. According to forest officials, elephants and tigers from Mudumalai and Bandipur tiger reserve migrate to the Wayanad forests during summer in search of food and water. This leads to a spike in human-wildlife conflict in the district. Easy availability of food is attracting wild animals to human habitations, say officials.