Karnataka: Elephant menace afflicts people of Hassan

HASSAN: An increase in the movement of elephants in Sakleshpur and Alur in Hassan district has forced villagers to change their daily routine, reschedule their travel plans, and stopped planters from growing banana, jackfruit and fishtail palm trees, to keep the jumbos at bay.
"Baby jackfruits are immediately harvested and sold, fearing that jumbos may raid plantations, after smelling ripened jackfruit.Baby jackfruits are transported to the Bengaluru market from this region, and are also exported," said Niranjan, a planter at Matasagara, Sakleshpur.
Niranjan said that due to the fear of elephants, the public have stopped going outside in the evening, which has resulted in a rise in theft of farm produce. "Elephants have also gradually changed their habit of eating plants meant for providing secondary shade in plantations," he said.
Rohit Ballu, a coffee planter, says, "Today, there is no guarantee of life of a farmer returning home safely, once he leaves home early in the day, due to elephants. As sufficient water sources are available, elephants are camping in the region. Recently, a tusker entered a warehouse, after breaking open the door and window, and damaged paddy stored in sacks at Kabbinagadde and Kirehalli."
Prasad Raxidi, a social activist from Sakleshpur, said, "Due to frequent raids by elephants in Kirehalli, annual losses to the tune of lakhs of rupees have been estimated, as elephants damage coffee and banana plants, areca and fishtail palm trees. They rub their bodies against pepper vines and destroy them. A coffee plant needs 10 years to grow. If a pepper vine is damaged, seven years of yield will be lost."
"Another challenge for estate owners is that they have to pay the salary for a full day, for workers, even though they leave work in the middle, after elephants are sighted," Prasad said.
DCF K N Basavaraju said that jumbos are feeding on coffee, paddy, banana and other plants. "The main problem is the public offering edible items to elephants, which is why elephants are frequently entering human habitation, in order to find something to eat. We are trying to create more awareness in this regard," he added.
"Our suggestion to sprinkle chilli powder on harvested paddy, to keep elephants at bay has yielded results," the DCF claimed.
"In the last one year, five deaths have been reported due to attacks by elephants in the district, and about Rs 2.1 crore in compensation has been given to property owners, and to the members of families of the deceased, for the loss of lives, property and crops by elephants," the DCF stated.