Steel wire fencing to keep out jumbos

Maqsood Maniyar | NT Bengaluru

Bannerghatta forest range has received permission for steel wire rope fencing in some sectors with the objective of reducing human- elephant conflict. Deputy Conservator of Forests (DCF) Bannerghatta National Park Prabhakar Priyadarshi said that Aranya Bhavan had granted them leave to do the same.

“There is a new concept from Tamil Nadu that has been tried in Jawalgiri (forest), which is called steel wire rope fencing. We had been putting up railway barricades, which is a costly affair. Per kilometre, it costs about Rs 1.2-1.4 crore, and we have a huge boundary to protect. This steel wire rope fencing is about half to one third of the cost. It is about Rs 60 lakh per kilometre on an average.

“Our senior officials made a visit to Tamil Nadu. They saw how it works and as of now, some of the divisions have been granted permission. In Nagarahole, this work is going on. In Bannerghatta, we have been given a target of steel wire rope fencing. Let us see. Head office (Aranya Bhavan) has granted permission. This is for a few places (around Bannerghatta),” he said. “Everybody wants to have it in their area. This is particularly for elephants,” he added.

He added that elephants were the biggest crop raiders. “More than 90 per cent of the crops raided are by elephants. Usually from October to December/January, crop raids by elephants increase.

In the rainy season, farmers don’t plant the right crop (preferred by elephants). So there are relatively fewer issues,” Priyadarshi said.

Four types of barricades

The officer added that the forest department’s plan was to make use of four different kinds of fences. “We use a judicious mix of barriers. We have solar tentacle fencing; elephant proof trench, steel wire rope fencing and railway barricades. These are four of the barriers that have proven effective,” he said.

The DCF insisted that the fences had reduced human-animal conflict and that they were safe since the barricades that contained electricity had low voltage, enough to repel but not kill the elephants.

“A cheaper option is solar tentacle fencing. Earlier, there used to be four or five strands of solar fence. There are poles and then you put up a solar fence, resembling barbed wire. Elephants came up with a way to bypass the electric fence. They would uproot some trees nearby and put the tree on the fence. It’ll ground the current and the solar fence would be rendered ineffective. They’re very intelligent animals.

“Then we came up with an idea to hang the solar wires from a pole like structure. The current supply is done using solar panels. They are called tentacles since they hang like tentacles. They cost around Rs 5 lakh per kilometre,” Priyadarshi said. “We are upgrading our previous elephant proof trenches to the latest specifications, that is at least three metres width at the top and three depth,” he added.