Wild animal attacks: Forest department to form primary response teams modelled on RRT in Munnar’s plantations

The first primary response team will make up a select individual trained by Forest officials in each estate division

The Forest department will form a primary response team in the plantation areas of Munnar to prevent the increasing number of wild animal attack-related incidents. Forest officials report that the majority of human-animal conflict cases occur in the plantation areas.

Commenting on the initiative, Munnar range officer Biju S. said that the primary response team will emulate the Rapid Response Team (RRT) model — with the support of Kanan Devan Hills Plantations (KDHP) and the Munnar grama panchayat. “The first primary response team will form within two days at Kallar comprising a select individual trained by Forest officials in each estate division. The aim is to prevent human interactions with wild animals when it reaches human settlements,” said the official.

The official further said that the trained persons in estate divisions may chase the animals away from their areas or provide an alert to the RRT. The RRT will arrive at the location and pursue the animal. “In addition, the Forest department has already begun awareness camps among plantation workers in Munnar on human-animal conflict management,” said Mr. Biju.

According to Forest officials, incidents of wild elephant attacks are increasing in Munnar. Forest officials say the illegal roadside shops and the Munnar panchayat-owned waste dumping yard at Kallar attract wild elephants to Munnar. “Most of the roadside shops were selling pineapple, watermelon, tender coconut, and papaya. Previously, the Munnar forest range was home to 18 wild elephants, but the number has now increased to 24. The fruit shops are attracting wild animals to Munnar town and the dumping yard at Kallar is attracting wild elephants to Kallar,” said an official.

Ninety per cent of the Kanan Devan Reserve Forest Areas in Munnar are covered with eucalyptus and battle trees, and the wild elephants didn’t get any food from within forests. “The wild elephants are venturing into human habitations in search of food. Many forest divisions were conducting eco-restoration projects to ensure food security for wild animals inside forests. But in the Munnar forest division, the forest department has not yet implemented such projects,” said an official.

Meanwhile, a wild gaur entered Nallathanni town in Idukki on Monday. Devikulam MLA A. Raja called a high-level meeting of Forest officials and political parties in Munnar to discuss the increasing human-animal conflict issues in the Munnar, Devikulam, and Chinnakkanal areas of Idukki.