Tiger scare affects cotton harvesting in Adilabad

Cotton growers were excited to get a record high rate of Rs 9,100 per quintal of cotton and were hoping it would touch the Rs 10,000 mark soon, at the same time, they are frightened to harvest the crop in wake of an increased movement of tigers

Adilabad: Farmers of the erstwhile Adilabad district are caught in a tricky situation. They are upbeat over a significant rise in prices of cotton produce, but at the same time, they are frightened to harvest the crop in the wake of an increased movement of tigers and a recent human kill reported in Kumram Bheem Asifabad district.

Cotton growers were excited to get a record high rate of Rs 9,100 per quintal of cotton and were hoping it would touch the Rs 10,000 mark soon. Some of them had already started harvesting the crop.

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However, a major portion of the farmers are yet to commence the activity, with many fearing attacks by animals, especially tigers, after quite a few recent tiger sightings in the area, including near agriculture fields.

“We are tensed over the movement of tigers in the fringes of forests and agriculture fields. Hiring laborers has become a tough task considering the unprecedented sighting of tigers in farms. Incidentally, two out of three human kills occurred in Kumram Bheem Asifabad district from 2020 to 2022 and during the harvesting season of the cotton crop,” K Narayana, a farmer from Karjelli village in Chintalamanepalli mandal said.

In the latest instance, Sidam Bheem (69) was mauled to death, allegedly by a tiger, when he was collecting cotton balls at Gondapur hamlet under Choupanguda village in Wankidi of Kumram Bheem Asifabad district on November 15. Pasula Nirmala (18) was killed when she was gathering the balls of the cotton in her field at Kondapalli village in Penchikalpet mandal on November 29 in 2020.

“The farmers look like animals to a tiger while they bend to collect cotton balls. Tigers and other big cats like leopards develop aberrant behavior and tend to kill farmers when they are in search of territory,” S Venugopal, a forest range officer specialized in wildlife protection said.

Forest officials say farmers were advised to leave farms before sunset and to make loud noise if they encountered the animal.