Chief Veterinary Officer (Retd) of the state Forest Department Dr E K Eswaran and Professor (Retd) Dr Jose Joseph of the Kerala Agricultural University traversed the human-animal conflict zones in Kerala's hilly regions on behalf of Malayala Manorama. This is the fourth piece in a series on their findings.
Thondarnad in Wayanad was safe, without even the menace of wild boars. While wild animals raided other areas frequently, the village remained insulated — or so thought Pallippurathu Thomas, like many others.
Thomas was not worried about wild animals when he worked at a banana plantation at Puthussery.
He was being watched. He realised the danger only when the perfectly camouflaged cat pounced on him with a blood-curdling growl and dug its sabre-like teeth deep into his right thigh.
The bite was so forceful that his femur broke. Unable to move, he grabbed his mobile phone, dialled, and informed his contact of the wild incident. He also issued a warning: Do not rush in. The tiger was still with him.
He was profusely bleeding from the thigh when the villagers found him. The tiger had cut the femoral vein that carries deoxygenated blood from the lower leg to the heart.
His wife Sini and son Sojan accompanied him in the ambulance, even as Thomas kept groaning that he was in pain and hungry. The ambulance took Thomas to two hospitals before rushing to the Medical College Hospital, its siren wailing.
But it was too late. Thomas died of cardiac arrest due to excessive bleeding.
With Thomas gone, Sojan is the only breadwinner of the family. A fresh graduate, he was provided with a temporary job at the Koroth Forest Office. The government has promised him a permanent job in six months. The family is now pegging its hope on the promise.
After Thomas's death, Puthussery has lost trust in nature. It fears a tiger could be lurking somewhere close. The fear has spread across the district after a tiger was sighted in Sulthan Bathery.
From bears to elephants
All wild creatures great and small roam the farmlands in the hilly regions of Thiruvananthapuram. Vellanad grabbed headlines after a sloth bear, while chasing a chicken, plunged into a well and drowned in a private property.
Sloth bears even visit schools at Arippa. Wild elephants, boars, and gaurs raid crops in Vithura, Kattakkada, Palode, Aryanad and Uzhamalakkal localities.
In Vilavoorkkal and Malayinkil downhill Mukkunnimala, farmers face an arboreal problem. They have stopped farming fearing raids by troops of monkeys.
Meanwhile, the northernmost district of Kasaragod is under threat from across the state border. Elephants from Karnataka wreak havoc in the border areas. According to an elephant count held in May, 1,103 elephants were found in Kodagu.
The elephant menace is rampant and unabated in Banthadukka, Karadka, Panathady, Balal, and East Eleri — all bordering Karnataka.
Adoor's bachelors
Farmers at Adoor village in Kasaragod are packing up. Elephants from Kodagu reach Adoor first as they enter Kerala. The village lives under constant fear, and many young men remain unmarried as parents of girls refuse to send them to the village living under the constant fear of marauding elephants.
The population, too, has come down. The Anganwadi at Shimoga in Adoor has only one child. Abandoned, dilapidated houses dot the landscape.
Tigers in custody
Five tigers, including the one responsible for Thomas's death, that had terrorised human settlements are at the Animal Hospice Centre in Bathery's Nalam Mile. They are kept in 25 sq m paddocks.
After capturing the tigers, authorities named them: The tiger that was captured from a human settlement at Pilakkavi in Mananthavady is named Kichchu. The one that killed 30 domestic animals at Cheeral is Raja, the big cat captured from near Kuppamudi Estate is Krishna, Thomas's killer is Adheera; the toothless tiger caught from Vakeri is Lakshmi. All these animals were captured within the past 1.5 years from human settlements.
According to the 2018 census, Kerala is home to 196 tigers. Though the result of the 2022 census has not been announced, it is estimated that Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary alone has 157 tigers. Incidentally, a tigress and her two cubs camped in Vakeri for some time.
(Wayanad had a tradition of narikkuthu, the spearing of tigers that stray into human settlements. Several households still keep the spear used for narikkuthu).
Surrendered king of cattle
Mambreth Abraham (Rajan) of Bethany in Pathanamthitta's Perunad is now worried. "One of my goats was the mother of a one-week-old kid. Another one was heavily pregnant. A tiger killed both," he said with a blank look.
It was not the first time that Rajan had lost his cattle to tigers. "Earlier, tigers took my two cows. One was pregnant. I don't get even half of their value as compensation. Why should I tend to cattle?" he asked.
Rajan had sold a herd of 12 goats, fearing tigers. His brother Jose, too, had lost cattle to the big cats.
While tigers terrorise Ranni, Perunad, Seethathodu and Maniyar areas, elephants have a free run at Kodumudi and Thannithode. Erumeli is under the constant threat of gaurs. Of the 140 families that lived in Kodumudi and Anchumukku areas, 100 have left for safer places.
Open invitation to tigers
Dr E K Eswaran found fault with people for inviting the tiger menace. Vegetation has grown wild in abandoned farmlands in Wayanad and Pathanamthitta's Perunad and Maniyar areas.
Tigers relax at the same place for at least four days after feeding. Abandoned farmlands are ideal for them to camp for days. It is the people's responsibility to clear the farmlands of wild vegetation, he said.
There are people who have migrated overseas after abandoning their farmlands back home. The local self-government institutions should take the initiative to clear such lands. The owners should be made to foot the expenses. Dr Eswaran said the job guarantee scheme could be used for this purpose.
He suggested an in-depth study on animal density. A tiger needs 20-25 sq km. It would be roughly about 250 acres. Also, people should be made aware of how to handle animals.
They should know the distance to be maintained while chasing away elephants. They should avoid travelling alone and late in the night in places where tigers frequent. Dr Eswaran is of the view that farming activities should be taken up in groups.
Wanted: Population control measures
Dr Jose Joseph pointed out the boom in the wild animal population that often makes animals stray into human settlements far away from forests.
He opined that the animal population now was beyond the forests' carrying capacity. A study should be conducted and necessary measures should be implemented.
Dr Joseph suggested that the authorities should ensure food and water to keep wild animals within the forests. Controlling animals and forming a defence against them should not be the responsibility of farmers, he added.
