Amidst a flurry of promises made by the authorities concerned, the forest fringe villages of Kottayam continue to endure raging attacks from wildlife, giving sleepless nights to the settler farming community.
According to villagers, there has been a steady rise in wildlife sightings near human habitations and the straying of these animals have caused widespread damage to a variety of crops such as plantain, cocoa trees and even coconut trees.
The problem is especially rampant in Koruthodu, Kottickal, Mundakayam, Erumely panchayats in Kottayam. Despite a flurry of pleas, the authorities have failed to initiate any fruitful action to check the menace, prompting several of these farmers to abandon their land once and for all.
