Monkeys and wild boars causing most distress to people in Wayanad: Study

It is not the majestic elephants or tigers but monkeys and wild boars that are causing the most distress to the residents of this hill district in Keralam in the escalating humanwildlife conflict according to a new scientific studyHighlighting a critical disparity in the states compensation distribution the joint study conducted by researchers from Kannur University and the University of Geneva noted that the cumulative damage caused by smaller animals often equals the major singleincident losses caused by larger mammalsThe research published in the latest edition of Scientific Reportsa prestigious Nature Portfolio journal by Springer Naturewas led by Dr Joseph J Erincheri of Kannur University and Dr Takuya Iwamura of the University of GenevaThe fieldwork was conducted by research scholar C M Lakshmi during 202223The team also included former Kannur University professor Dr P K Prasadan researcher Stephina C C and Tanner Corless Smith from the University of GenevaData was collected from 998 individuals across 49 villages in the district focusing on human settlements and forestfringe areasThe findings indicate that 84 per cent of the respondents have experienced humanwildlife conflict and 81 percent hold a negative attitude towards wildlife conservation due to the increasing frequency of animal incursions and the intensity of the disturbancesWhile the fear of elephants and big cats persists interactions with monkeys were the most widely reportedThirty seven per cent of respondents rated the monkey menace as moderate to highly intenseFive per cent rated it as extremely intense due to severe crop raids and property damagethe highest intensity rating recorded among the eight wildlife species studiedWild boars closely followed with 30 per cent of respondents identifying them as a highintensity threat primarily due to widespread crop destructionPeafowl presence was also widely reported 30 per cent though the intensity of the threat was rated comparatively lowerInteractions with elephants 23 per cent tigers 4 per cent leopards 3 per cent and gaurs 3 per cent were relatively lowHowever the study noted that the economic loss security concerns and sheer panic caused by these animals remain immenseWhile conflicts involving elephants and tigers are mostly restricted to forest fringes monkeys wild boars and peafowls have adapted to human environments becoming major daily challenges across all settlements according to LakshmiAn analysis of regional newspaper reports from 202223 and the governments compensation distribution system showed a clear bias towards large mammalsWhile prompt compensation is usually awarded for incidents involving elephants or tigers the recurring daily damages caused by monkeys and wild boars are largely ignored because they lack visual intensityThe study calls for a more equitable and comprehensive compensation system that factors in the cumulative financial drain caused by repeated smaller attacks rather than just focusing on isolated major incidentsMitigation measures must be tailored to the specific species causing conflict in each specific area the researchers suggestedFurther studies are currently underway to map exact conflict hotspots in Wayanad and the final report will soon be submitted to the government and the Forest DepartmentMeanwhile parallel research on zoonotic disease transmission resulting from wildlife entering human habitats is progressing at the universitys laboratoryThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever