Solar fence to reduce man-animal conflict near Tadoba tiger sanctuary in Maharashtra

In a bid to reduce man-animal conflict and to prevent damage to crops in villages, Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday said guidelines should be made to put up individual solar fences in sensitive villages where wildlife movement is more. Thackeray also directed forest department officials that tigers should be radio-collared

In a bid to reduce man-animal conflict and to prevent damage to crops in villages, chief minister Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday said guidelines should be made to put up individual solar fences in sensitive villages where wildlife movement is more. Thackeray also directed forest department officials that tigers should be radio-collared and camera should be affixed to track their movement and alert locals in a time-bound manner.

Mumbai, India - May 23, 2019: CM Devendra Fadnavis reaches Matoshri to meet Uddhav Thackeray after BJP's Victory in Lok Sabha election, Kalanagar, Bandra East in Mumbai, India, on Thursday, May 23, 2019. (Photo by Aalok Soni/Hindustan Times) (Aalok Soni/HT PHOTO)

Chandrapur district, which has a high tiger population, has seen the most tiger attack cases out of the total 88 recorded in 2020. Taking cognisance of the rising human-tiger conflict in Chandrapur, the Maharashtra government had set up an 11-member committee to look into options for conservation, relocation of tigers, and suggest measures to reduce conflict.

The project under Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Jan Van Vikas Yojana will cover 939 villages. The CM directed officials to see if other villages can be added. Initially, five sensitive villages will be fitted with metal fence.

Solar fence has been used in Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra. A solar-powered fence is fed by the power generated from solar sources, including solar panels, batteries and energisers. These fences send non-lethal but sharp shock when an animal or person comes in contact with it, acting as a barrier to intruding animals, experts said.

Thackeray, in a statement from the secretariat, said, “Cameras should be installed at places where wildlife, especially tigers, are found to monitor their movements. Some tigers should also be fitted with radio collars to monitor their movement, so that people can be alerted and human-wildlife conflicts can be avoided.”