Farmers facing loss due to wild animals’ attack demand early compensation

A field damaged by wild elephants at Vadakarai in Tenkasi district.
| Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Farmers of Vadakarai in Tenkasi district demanded the State government to provide adequate and early compensation and to protect their farms from attack of wild animals, especially elephants.

Since many of the farmlands and crops were already damaged heavily by elephants entering the area, the recent entry of elephants again has furthered the damage, said farmers.  

Crops like paddy, banana, mango, coconut, equipment like motors, water pipes, fence among others would usually be destroyed by the elephants.  

Despite the forest department having camped in the area to drive away the elephants into the forest, not all elephants have returned back, due to which the fear of farm damage still prevails among the farmers, they added.  

Varisaikani, a banana farmer of Sengulam near Vadakarai, whose farm was recently damaged by the elephants, said that earlier elephants destroyed most of the 2,000 banana trees planted on the land.  

“Facing heavy lost I procured loan and again planted banana plants, but the damage caused by the elephants now is very high. I fear how I am going to recover from the loss. I request the government to provide adequate compensation for the loss I suffered,” he noted.  

Further, he said, a permanent solution has to be formulated to prevent such entry of elephants again in the future.  

Forest department sources, all steps were being taken to drive all the remaining into the forest.