Wild animals on prowl imperil migrant kids’ safety in Valparai

COIMBATORE: In a bothersome trend, children of migrant workers tend to come under continuous attacks by wild animals in the picturesque Valparai plateau.

Over the recent past, a chain of incidents has claimed the lives of three children: two in leopard attacks and one in a sloth bear attack in the Valparai range.

Last month, a six-year-old girl from Jharkhand, who was helping her mother in domestic chores behind their labour quarters in Pachamalai Estate on June 20, was dragged away by a leopard. In a few days, the leopard was successfully trapped in a cage by the forest department.

Within a fortnight, an eight-year-old boy from Assam, who was heading home through the by-lanes of Waverly Estate area, was killed in a sloth bear attack on August 11.

In the previous incident on October 19, last year, a four-year-old girl from Jharkhand was sitting on a boulder and watching her mother pluck spinach in a tea estate at Oosimalai Mattam when a leopard pounced on her.

Explaining the reason behind such attacks, Ganesh Raghunathan of the Nature Conservation Foundation (NCF) attributed the lack of awareness among migrant workers as the primary cause behind such attacks.

“The native people are familiar with the landscape of the region. So, there are hardly any incidents of attacks involving them. But the migrant population keeps moving, and those who have arrived newly in the hills may take time to understand such conflict issues,” he said.

Hailing from different states, the migrants speak various languages like Hindi, Urdu, Bengali, and Assamese, and it is difficult to reach out to them, further widening the communication gap.

“Over the years, there has been a steady surge in the inflow of migrant workforce as local people have begun to move to the plains in search of better jobs. Hence, constant efforts were being taken to create awareness among migrants by enacting street plays to avoid conflicts with wild animals. Only consistent and coordinated efforts by the forest department, estate management, and conservation experts will deliver desired results,” he said.

Tea Plantation Workers Union president ‘Valparai’ Hameed said there is a rampant increase in the intrusion of leopards and sloth bears in town and estate areas in recent times. “The forest department should take concrete preventive measures like regular patrolling and erecting fences around residential neighbourhoods to prevent conflicts,” he said.

Meanwhile, officials of the forest department claim that they, along with NGOs, have been conducting regular sensitisation drives among the migrant population. “Our first and foremost priority is to create awareness. Almost daily, alerts are being given and sensitisation programmes are being conducted,” said an official of the forest department.

The department has asked people not to let children step out of their houses. Even during the daytime, when both parents are away to work, the children should either be left in school or at the crèche, according to the department.

“To make our sensitisation drive more effective by overcoming the language barrier, we reach out to the newly arrived migrant population, who lack proper understanding of the terrain, through those who have settled a few years ago and are well-versed in Tamil,” the official said.

Following continuous incidents, the forest department recently conducted a meeting with all stakeholders, including estate managements, stressing the removal of thickets in the labour-line area.

They were also instructed to properly implement solid waste management techniques, as improper disposal of leftover food by people near their houses has been luring wild animals.

“An orientation should be given by the estate management on the safety precautions for all newly recruited migrant workers. They also insisted on creating solar fencing surrounding the workers' settlements, which, however, is considered to be a financial strain,” the official added.