Sari fences help Nalgonda farmers protect their crops without harming animals

With sloth bears damaging crops, villages hit upon the sari idea to save their crops from the bears by tying the saris to poles to form a fence

Nalgonda: Colourful saris fluttering in the wind on an agricultural field might be a beautiful sight for most, but not for sloth bears and wild boars, which assume that the saris mean human movement.

And this is exactly what farmers in villages of Chandampet and Neredugommu mandal are pinning their hopes on to protect their crops from the wild animals.

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With sloth bears damaging crops, particularly groundnut, farmers in Kersharajupally, Kothapally, Neredugommu, Bachapuram, Peddamunagal, Thimmapuram, Kethepally, Chithriyala and Dasarapalle villages hit upon the sari idea to save their crops from the bears by tying the saris to poles to form a fence.

While this is protecting the crops, the fact that such a fence does not bring any harm to the wild animals is also turning out to be a positive factor.

Earlier, many farmers in the area located near the reserve forest and hill areas had set up, albeit illegally, electric fences to protect their crops. However, this led to the death of several bears and boars. The sari idea is now receiving widespread appreciation from animal lovers.

Not just farmers, many shepherds have also set up sari fences around the sheds where their sheep are kept in the night.

Speaking to Telangana Today, a farmer, Ramavath Khandriya, who has a five acre-land at Peddamunagal, said the saris flutter in the wind, making the wild animals think that people were moving in the area. This has prevented them from venturing into the agricultural fields, he said.

Another farmer, Kethavath Lachu, who was cultivating groundnut in three acres at Kersharajupally, said the sloth bears and wild boars generally target groundnut crops and pluck the plants out to get the groundnuts. With one farmer trying out the sari fence concept, others too followed suit.

The farmers purchase old saris at the price of Rs.10 to Rs.15 each from roadside vendors at Devarakonda for the purpose. He said about 100 saris would be enough for fencing one agriculture field.