COIMBATORE: People of a village in the Nilgiris have threatened to protest if mounds of garbage dumped in their neighbourhood are not removed, to prevent the arrival of sloth bears.

They claimed that sloth bears have been frequenting the dumpyard located in Kagguchi village in search of leftover food triggering the possibility of conflicts with human beings.

With 1,000 odd houses in the village, the people tend to dump the garbage along roadsides and in low-lying areas due to the lack of bins. Besides causing health issues, the garbage also attracts sloth bears during both day and night.

The villagers claimed that despite repeated petitions, the village panchayat officials have not taken any steps to address their grievance. “An adequate number of bins should be placed to prevent open dumping. Also, the forest department should take concrete measures to keep away sloth bears from entering our residential areas,” the villagers said.