Man-wildlife conflict escalates in erswthile Medak

The frequency in instances of man-animal conflict is on the rise in several parts of the erstwhile Medak district.

Medak: The frequency in instances of man-animal conflict is on the rise in several parts of the erstwhile Medak district.

A spotted deer died when it was hit by an unidentified vehicle at Mambapur village in Gummadidala mandal on January 30. In a similar incident, a black buck was killed in a road mishap in Regode mandal of Medak district on January 12. Several wild animals have been killed in road accidents round the year as roads were laid through forest areas at several places. Since the population of wild boars have increased, wild boars have been crossing the roads in packs, which has resulted in accidents at several places.

---

Recently, a woman died as the car she was traveling in hit a pack of wild boars that were crossing a busy road in the Narsapur forest area. While the woman Gunabai (52) died on the spot, her son Shiva Kumar, who was driving the car, suffered serious injuries.

Meanwhile, leopards, hyenas and other animals were venturing out of the forest area in search of food quite frequently. Due to the lack of a sufficient prey base in the forest area, there have been instances of leopards and hyenas attacking domestic animals in villages located on the fringes of the forest.

A hyena ventured out of the forest and killed a calf at Salabathpur village in Kowdipally mandal on January 21. The owner of the calf Chakali Srisraim found the half-eaten carcass the following morning a few metres away from his cattle shed. Initially, farmers thought it was a leopard attack. However, Forest officials confirmed it was a hyena after checking the pug marks. During the same period, Forest officials, who placed camera traps as farmers saw a leopard in Ramayampet and Chegunta mandals, captured the movement of leopards in camera traps. After getting the pictures, Forest Officer Vidyasagar put farmers of Ibrahimpur, Kistapur, Chittojipally, Rukmapur, Rampur and Kanyaram on alert.

Ramayampet, Chegunta and Chinna Shankarampet mandals in Medak district have a history of leopards killing domestic animals. Animal Warriors Conservation Society (AWCS) founder Pradeep Nair said the State government should involve locals to protect the wild animals besides ensuring an increase in the prey base in the forest.