Wild animal menace: Forest department to install solar-powered hanging fences

As part of efforts to counter the growing wild animal menace and crop loss, the Forest department has decided to install solar-powered hanging fences around some of the most vulnerable fields along the Malabar Wildlife Sanctuary in Kozhikode district. In the first phase, a 4-km stretch at Vattakkayam in Chakkittappara panchayat will be completed in response to farmers’ grievances.

A meeting attended by senior Forest department officers and farmers’ organisation leaders was held at the Peruvannamuzhi forest office on Tuesday (August 19, 2025) to explain the project details and its time-bound implementation. Concerns raised by some farmers over possible accidents and future restrictions around the protected areas were also addressed.

“The project is being implemented here with the cooperation of farmers who have long suffered from wild animal menace. During installation, farmers’ groups will extend field-level support in all possible areas of work,” said a local body member who had earlier proposed the project as a lasting solution. He added that once completed, the project could serve as a model for neighbouring panchayats facing similar issues.

Forest department officers said they had completed field-level surveys to begin installation with the support of a competent agency. The survey findings and related project details, prepared at the Peruvannamuzhi Range office, would be submitted to the Divisional Forest Officer for final sanction.

While installing the power fence, farmers’ organisations’ demand to prune overhanging branches along forest borders will be considered, following complaints from private landholders that overgrowth was affecting cultivation in adjacent fields.

“We do not believe that hanging fences alone can end the wild animal menace, but the Forest department should at least try installing them using the available financial resources,” said V. Mathew, a farmer from Chakkittappara. He added that earlier proposals for stronger steel fences using dismantled railway tracks had turned out to be pipe dreams, leaving farmers disappointed due to lack of follow-up.