Conservationists’ pleas to the district administration to formulate a system to manage vegetable waste generated at carrot-cleaning units in the district have fallen on deaf ears, as wildlife continue to consume discarded vegetables near populated human settlements in the Nilgiris.
A few years ago, a spate of Indian gaur deaths were reported from the Ketti valley, attributed to the animals’ dependence on carrot waste as a source of food.
A senior veterinarian from Tamil Nadu, speaking to The Hindu, said that ruminants such as Indian gaur require a diet rich in fiber to remain healthy. “However, vegetables such as carrots are high in carbohydrates, and animals that consume large quantities of rice or vegetables over a prolonged period of time are prone to a number of conditions that can prove fatal,” said the veterinarian, who requested anonymity.
“High consumption of such food stuffs can cause the build-up of lactic and acetic acid in the stomach of the animals, leading to indigestion, blood thinning and eventual death. Many such instances are reported among cattle especially after festivals such as Pongal, when cattle are fed high quantities of vegetables and rice,” he added, stating that Indian gaur that consume carrots and other carbohydrate-rich vegetables over a prolonged period of time can also develop Laminitis (damage to the tissue between the hoof and the foot) of the animal.
“Animals can also become weakened and more prone to illness, increasing the chance of disease spreading among local populations,” stated another conservationist from the Nilgiris, who added that improper waste disposal mechanisms also attract wildlife into human settlements, increasing the chances of negative human-animal interactions.
Need for waste collection mechanism
A resident of the Nilgiris and an owner of one of the carrot-cleaning units in Ketti, stated that there were around 15 carrot-cleaning units in Ketti Palada, while there were other units also in Muthorai Palada near Udhagamandalam.
“For every five tonnes of carrot cleaned at the unit, at least 200-300 kilograms of carrots do not meet the quality standards and have to be discarded. As there are no guidelines stipulated on how to deal with such waste, most owners of the carrot-cleaning machines either dump the carrot waste near the machines or inside reserve forests,” he said, adding that the local civic body should form a waste collection mechanism in the area.
Local residents also complain of the animals becoming habituated to consuming the vegetables, often times making their way through thickly populated human settlements to the areas where the waste is dumped, putting them at direct risk of negative interactions with humans.
When contacted, District Forest Officer (Nilgiris Division), S. Gowtham, said that he would inform the local range officers to take cognizance of the issue, and instruct owners of carrot cleaning units to stop dumping of the waste in open areas accessible to wildlife.
