Complete repair work of elephant trenches and hanging solar fences in Kodagu: Khandre

Forest, Ecology and Environment Minister Eshwar Khandre on Wednesday instructed forest department officials to ensure proper maintenance of elephant trenches and hanging solar fences installed in Kodagu district to mitigate human-elephant conflict.

Mr. Khandre, who met with MLAs A.S. Ponnanna, Manthar Gowda, and Darshan Dhruvanarayan, instructed officials to complete the repair work of the existing 422 km of elephant trenches and 544 km of hanging solar fences within one month.

He said that 38% of deaths caused by human-wildlife conflict in the State occur in Kodagu district and directed officials to increase patrolling.

He also instructed strengthening of the elephant task force and rapid response teams.

Mr. Khandre added that in order to enable staff to respond quickly when elephants and other wildlife enter coffee plantations and to drive them back into forests, four vehicles have already been purchased in addition to the existing six.

The Minister directed that four more vehicles be procured and that local youth be hired on a contract basis to strengthen the task force and improve efficiency.

He also directed senior officials to take all necessary steps to establish a strong wireless network for sharing information on wildlife movement and to curb illegal tree felling and wildlife poaching.

Officials were also instructed to collect data on the number of workers in plantations across each zone in Kodagu district.

“When wildlife, especially elephants, approach human settlements or plantations, immediate alerts should be sent to workers via WhatsApp and through vehicles equipped with loudspeakers,” he said.

Mr. Khandre also directed officials to ensure that wildlife in forests do not face shortages of water and fodder.