Coffee growers find novel ways to protect their estates from herd raids

Kushalnagar: Jackfruit is elephants’ favourite fruit and they can smell the ripe ones from miles away. Elephants are dead clever and determined. If the fruit is too high for them to reach they’ll shake the tree with their trunk until the fruit falls to the ground. And if there is an electric fence, they will break it down with a dry tree trunk and enter any plantation. 

It is jackfruit season in Kodagu now and wild elephants raiding coffee estates in search of jackfruits is commonplace. They camp for days inside estates putting the lives of estate owners and also labourers in jeopardy as no one can venture into the estates till the herd or even a lone tusker leaves the property. 

Wary of elephant raids, farmers and coffee growers have adopted newer ways and means to save their lives and property. They are plucking jackfruits from the trees and dumping them on the elephant path. 

In fact, the Forest Department has to intervene in such elephant raids. But with no help forthcoming from the Department officers, who don’t even pay compensation to the loss of coffee plants, estate owners have taken this initiative and it has proved a success too. The elephants entering estates has minimised, if not totally prevented. 

Wild elephant menace is rampant in Aiguru, Kandanakolli, Kodlipet, Shirangala Nakoor, Abyathmangala, Chettalli and Seventh Hoskote in the North of the district and Srimangala, Ammathi, Thithimathi, Ponnampet, Kutta and Balele in Virajpet and Ponnampet taluks. 

Forests in these areas mostly comprise teak wood which is why elephants are falling short of food and in jackfruit season, they raid the estates. Repeated requests of the villagers to the Forest Department to chase elephants back to the forest have fallen on deaf ears. 

Path identified and dumped

Now in this season, jackfruits are found piled up on the roadsides and growers hope the elephants hog these jackfruits instead of entering into their plantations. But the planters cannot cut the jackfruit trees inside their own estates as they do not have tree rights and have to seek permission from the Department — a tedious job, especially during COVID times.

“We identify the path usually taken by elephants roaming around and dump tractor-loads of jackfruits on the way and also near lakes that are frequented by elephants. It is a big loss if a herd of 20 to 25 elephants enter an estate. We are not worried about them eating jackfruits but in the process, they destroy many coffee plants,” says Arun Kumar, an estate owner at Abyathmangala. 

On an average, over 1,000 kgs of jackfruits are dumped on the roadsides in the vicinity of every major estate. “We spend extra money and pay the labourers who make time to cut jackfruits amidst the tree-topping work,” he added. 

Villagers oppose move

However, the trend has been opposed by some villagers in Abyathmangala-Kushalnagar Range who fear for their safety. They claimed that some of the estate owners’ move is endangering their lives. Anil a, villager said that despite many pleas, the estate owners dump jackfruits by the side of the road and they can’t even go on the road fearing wild tuskers. 

However, Ajith Kumar, an estate owner on the Siddapura Road said that he had asked his estate workers to dump the fruits by the side of a lake that is frequented by elephant herds. “By mistake they have dumped on a roadside near the village and next time we will dump fruits on elephant path. Last year, we faced severe losses as many coffee tree branches were broken as herds entered my estate. This is the only visible solution,” he said.