VALPOI
Growing incidents of bison straying into farms and destroying plantations have caused anger among farmers in Sattari.
In the latest such incident, bison entered the farm of Madhukar Kelkar in Nagargao on Thursday night and destroyed banana, betel nut, coconut, cashew and mango plantations.
“Bison entered my plantation and caused extensive damage and we have suffered heavy losses. I will file a complaint with the Sattari Mamlatdar, deputy collector and the agriculture department, requesting them to inspect the damages and make arrangements for compensation,” said Kelkar.
The frequent movement of bison has posed considerable problems to farmers in the area and despite different measures by farmers, the issue has not been resolved.
“We have been trying to drive away bison when then stray into our plantations during the day, but it is a dangerous exercise as there is always a possibility that we could be attacked by these large animals,” said Kelkar.
“The forest department should take concrete measures to prevent bison from entering our plantations, else it would be difficult to pursue farming in future,” Kelkar added.
According to sources, bison have also begun straying into the Cattle Breeding Farm at Koparde-Sattari, as they are attracted to the fodder prepared for cattle at the farm.
“Bison have been entering the farm at night for the fodder. A team has now been set up to conduct night patrolling in the area,” said a source.
