Fear mounts in Vandiperiyar as wild bison stray into human settlements

Vandiperiyar: Wild bison roaming through tea estates and residential pockets are increasingly becoming a nightmare for residents of Vandiperiyar, where fear of animal attacks now hangs over daily life.

 Bison are frequently primarily spotted roaming through overgrown stretches of abandoned tea estates, spreading fear among plantation workers. In several areas, plantation workers say they can no longer head to work without fear as wild bison continue to roam nearby estates. These animals, which frequently stray into plantations along forest fringes and farmlands owned by small scale farmers, have been also causing extensive crop damage.

Besides bisons, overgrown stretches inside tea estates have become a refuge for sambar deer as well. Plantation workers have frequently suffered injuries in attacks unleashed by these animals while on duty. According to local residents, wild animals descending from the nearby Periyar Tiger Reserve often enter inhabited areas and later settle there permanently instead of returning to the forests, gradually multiplying in number.

The issue of clearing overgrown vegetation inside plantations has already been included in the Forest Department’s master plan prepared as part of measures to mitigate human-wildlife conflict. However, residents allege that no concrete action has been initiated in this direction so far. Local people and plantation workers are now demanding that wild animals entering farmlands and plantations be driven back into the deep forest areas.