Adilabad ryots get masks to dodge tiger attacks
The Forest Department has instructed farmers to refrain from working for a few days and to keep their cattle indoors. Farmers Ravinder and Vinod from Sirpur expressed their fear of going to the fields to pick cotton.
In an attempt to protect farmers, officials provided them with face masks to wear on the back of their heads. The idea is that the mask may trick the tiger into thinking that the farmer is facing it, even when they are actually walking away. According to forest department sources, this technique, which was also used by villagers in the Sundarbans, has helped reduce tiger attacks. However, its effectiveness diminishes over time as tigers may eventually recognize the deception.
Field Director of Kawal Tiger Reserve, S Shantharam, stated that the tiger responsible for the attacks likely migrated from Maharashtra and is exhibiting unusual behavior by moving through agricultural fields. Efforts to deter the tiger, such as distributing masks and drum beating, have started. A decision on whether to seek permission to tranquilise the animal will be made in two days.
It is believed that about three tigers migrated to the Khagaznagar corridor from Maharashtra’s Tadoba Tiger Reserve, crossing the Penganga River. There are already six resident tigers in the corridor in addition to these visitors. They have been attacking humans as their natural prey, herbivores, has dwindled in number.
In response to the death of M Lakshmi in a tiger attack on Friday, the authorities have provided her family with a compensation of `10 lakh and allocated five acres of land to her kin.
