Kangayam farmers tweak fencing method to prevent attack on livestock by wandering dogs

Farmers in Kangayam block use iron fence enclosures with hollow blocks to safeguard livestock

Pushed to the shove, farmers in Kangayam block who have been losing livestock to packs of wandering dogs are apparently trying out a new method of fencing to safeguard their flocks of goats and sheep.

The iron fence enclosures have begun to feature hollow blocks at the bottom to rule out the gap for entry of the attacking dogs.

Till now, the dogs had gained entry into the enclosures by gouging out the soil beneath the fences. “Even if the dogs dig the ground below, the hollow blocks will keep sinking to the ground, leaving little scope for the dogs to enter the fences,” according to P. Velusamy, a farmer affected by the loss of livestock due to attack by the dogs.

The catch, however, is that the tweaking of the fencing necessitates stationing of the livestock at a single location. The very purpose for having the goats in a pen-type set up is natural fertigation of soil in fields.

Stationing of the livestock at a single location has now necessitated the removal of the top soil containing the droppings and urine of the livestock to the fields where the soil needs to be enriched, Mr. Velusamy explained.

The intermittent incidents of attacks on livestock by wandering dogs had triggered a series of protests by the farmers who have been demanding compensation from the government authorities.

The farmers say they are looking for a responsible reply from the district administration on the issue at the forthcoming monthly meeting on October 25, to redress grievances of farmers.