Mysuru: Farmers annoyed with leopard and monkey menace at their farmlands, can now heave a sigh of relief by implementing this simple yet effective way of saving standing crops.

The idea of placing stuffed tiger dolls at agriculture fields to keep leopards, monkeys and other animals entering the fields and destroying the crops, at bay proved successful for Basavaraju, a farmer of Kudanahalli village in Mysuru taluk near Mysore Airport in Mandakalli.

He was very much upset over leopard menace which was rampant in his village surroundings and even agriculture workers were reluctant to work in his farm located close to the Airport, fearing leopard attack. It may be recalled that leopards were spotted near Mysore Airport on Mysuru-Nanjangud Road recently.

Basavaraju was also fed up with money menace as herds of monkeys were plucking tender coconuts. That is when he got an innovative idea of scaring the leopards and monkeys by placing stuffed tiger toys in his field. He tied the stuffed doll to a tree in the agriculture field and the idea worked out well.

Basavaraju, speaking to SOM, said that leopards and monkeys stopped coming to his fields after seeing the stuffed tiger doll he had placed in his field. He said that he had not seen a single monkey found plucking coconuts after he started to place the tiger dolls in his farm thus he found solutions to monkey and leopard menace in his own way.

The labourers were also coming to work regularly now without any fear of leopard attack after his idea to get rid of this menace worked out well. He alleged that Forest Department officials failed to end this menace though he had made several pleas to them in this regard.