A public meeting was convened at the Karike Gram Panchayat hall, chaired by Panchayat President Balachandran Nair, to find effective solutions to the increasing problem of wild elephants entering villages.
Villagers from Anepare, Bitiyadi, Madekana, Forest IB, Pachepilao, and other areas under Karike Panchayat jurisdiction, located on the Kodagu border, voiced their concerns during the meeting. The infestation of wild elephants has reached alarming levels, threatening both life and property. Bhagamandala Zonal Forest Officer Ravindra and Wildlife Zonal Forest Officer Thyagaraja received complaints from residents, who reported that elephants are frequently straying into agricultural lands, damaging coconut, areca, and banana plantations, and creating safety risks for students and agricultural labourers.
The villagers urged the forest department to construct trenches along the forest boundary to prevent elephant intrusions. However, forest officials expressed concern over the hilly terrain of Karike, which poses a landslide risk if trenches are dug. In response, the villagers pointed out that trenches had been dug in the past without any incidents of landslides and reiterated that trench construction remains the most viable solution. They demanded that elephant trenches be constructed from the Forest Guest House up to the Kerala border, covering affected areas such as Bitiyadi, Madekana, Kolangare, Ambedkar Colony, Pachepilao, and Alatthikadav.
President Balachandran Nair, in his address, insisted on immediate action to construct the trenches and urged the forest department to ensure timely compensation to farmers affected by crop loss due to wild elephant attacks.The meeting was attended by Gram Panchayat Vice President Kalpana Jagadish, members of the Panchayat, Madikeri Taluk KDP member Jayan, forest officia
