As traditional methods of beating drums, digging trenches and building concrete walls proved ineffective in reducing human-animal interactions, Kerala Forests and Wildlife Department has installed hanging solar fences that deter elephants from entering villages.
Korma is a picturesque village in Puthupariyaram panchayat in Palakkad district. The village in Kerala – aligning with the state’s image of ‘God’s own land’ – is situated between lush forests and creeks.
But the villagers could hardly enjoy the beauty of the land. They were always anxious, because no place in the village felt safe from the regular raids of wild elephants.
Korma is one of the 281 villages identified by the Kerala Forests and Wildlife Department as hazardous zones for human-animal conflicts. But thanks to the use of technology, the conflicts are slowly coming down.
Earlier, forest dwellers relied on traditional methods like making noise through various means such as beating drums and bursting crackers. The village Korma in Puthupariyaram panchayat and adjacent village Dhoni in Agathethara panchayat had also experimented with traditional methods to fend off wild elephants.
But when human-animal conflicts increased over the years because of various reasons, the forest department personnel started exploring various mechanisms. They dug elephant-proof trenches for more than 565 km. But the trenches dug up more than a decade ago to prevent wild elephants from straying into the villages became ineffective due to erosion.
As the trenches couldn’t stop the wild elephants from entering the village, the forest department built a 500 m long concrete wall three years ago in Korma, with a total of over 66 km covering many villages in Kerala. The concrete wall also failed as the elephants managed to find other routes to stray into the village.
As the traditional methods were no longer able to prevent the human-animal conflicts, the forest department started hanging solar fences along an 8 km stretch of the forest periphery.
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“This is the age of new generation technology. We are implementing the latest scientific methods without harming wild animals,” said A K Saseendran, Minister for Forests and Wildlife Protection, Kerala.
Solar panels set adjacent to the hanging strings are connected to batteries which provide 24-hour electricity during the hot summer when elephants are frequently seen round the clock, seeking food and water. During the rainy season, the fences are electrified for only 12 hours, from 6 pm to 6 am.
“Electrified strings are directly connected to the solar panels erected in the village. Elephants could suffer multiple mild electric shocks if they try to cross the hanging fence. Hence they are compelled to return to the forest,” said Rajith Babu, deputy range forest officer (RFO) of Olavakkode Forest Division in Palakkad.
Solar hanging fences are designed so that only mild shocks are felt. Because in a few places, humans and wild animals have died of shocks from illegally erected electric fences. The solar hanging fences do not cause any casualty.
Compared with traditional electric fences, hanging solar fences are costlier to install, since it’s an advanced multifaceted system to ward off wild elephants.
P Joy, a farmer of St Thomas Nagar, lives just 20 m from the hanging solar fences.
“Hanging solar fences stand along the village periphery,” said Joy. “Crop raids by elephants have drastically come down. But some elephants still find their way into the village and so I’m still somewhat worried.”
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There are some cynics too. They feel that elephants are too clever to outwit any technology.
“The elephants can just thrash the hanging solar fences with a wooden log to topple the fences,” said P Unnikrishnan, vice president of Puthupariyaram village panchayat.
During noon, herders from the Paniya tribal community graze their cattle. Despite having enough grass and fodder, some of the herders are looking for other odd jobs.
“We have enough lush grass. But we are concerned about wild animal attacks. I’m even thinking of selling my cattle because of safety concerns,” said P Rajan, a herder who owns 12 heads of cattle.
Anyhow, most villagers feel positively about technology, especially hanging solar fences. Right now solar hanging fences have been installed in Kerala, covering a 668 km stretch in villages adjoining forests.
“Compared to the other methods, solar hanging fences are eco-friendly, practical, financially viable and durable. But it needs routine maintenance. People living nearby also have a responsibility to look after the panels,” said P S Easa, an elephant expert and member of the committee appointed by the High Court of Kerala for resolving human-animal conflicts.
As the frequency of elephant raids has reduced after the installation of hanging solar fences, people of Puthupariyaram village in Palakkad District feel safer.
“Earlier people were afraid to visit Puthupariyaram as elephants used to frequent the village. Now the situation has changed. I’m getting frequent trip requests to Puthupariyaram,” said Shyju Mathatil, a taxi driver.
As the hanging solar fences are proving to be more effective in Puthupariyaram, more villages on the forest fringes of Western Ghats are exploring the idea of installing the same in their villages too.
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The lead image on top shows a hanging solar fence erected at Dhoni village in Palakkad district of Kerala. (Photo by K Rajendran)
K Rajendran is a journalist based at Thiruvananthapuram.
This article has been written with the support of Mumbai Press Club–N R Prakash Fellowship for Science & Technology for 2024.
