PANAJI
An invasion by a bison herd has left farmers and horticulturists in Sattari's Keri village a worried lot, fearing damage to their crops and plantations.
Early Wednesday morning, a herd of about 10 bisons were sighted by the villagers in the Panchkroshi locality worrying farmers there of the potential destruction to their crops and horticulture plantation should the beasts go berserk which often happens.
Wild animal incursions into cultivated and inhabited areas is not an uncommon phenomenon in Sattari which hugs the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary. In fact, locals argue that although it is an issue troubling farmers since the 1970s, the State administration and the forest department in particular have achieved little success in tackling it.
Bison, wild boar and even monkeys have routinely spelt devastation for the farmers and horticulturists by rampaging their fields and plantations, leaving the latter with no choice but to look in despair at their hard work ruined.
The process to stake a claim and obtain compensation from either the forest department or the agricultural department is tedious and often faced with failure due to technicalities, some of these local farmers from Keri said.
They said there have also been sporadic incidents of bodily harm to farmers in attacks by wild boar and bison and can only hope that the forest department step in with a scientific plan to tackle this man-animal conflict in Sattari.
