Wild animals trouble Sarlahi farmers

By Our Correspondent

Sarlahi, Jan. 14: Farmers in Sarlahi are facing difficulties as wild animals have begun destroying their maize and vegetable crops. 

Monkeys, wild boars and nilgai emerging from nearby forests and sugarcane fields are causing havoc in the farmland.

With the onset of winter, as people enter forests in large numbers to collect fodder and firewood and sugarcane fields are cleared after harvest, wild animals are entering maize and vegetable fields in search of safe habitat and food, causing significant damage.

Tilak Bahadur Rayamajhi, a farmer from Parwanipur Bhorleni of Lalbandi Municipality-16, said that monkeys and wild boars have started damaging the maize fields daily, forcing farmers to stay in the fields all day. Wild animals often cause havoc at night, despite their efforts.

Farmers in areas with irrigation facilities are currently growing maize, which is at the cob formation stage. Nani Babu Thapa, the Ward Chairperson of Haripur Municipality–1, said that groups of monkeys frequently enter their fields of hybrid maize.

Monkeys and wild boars continue to cause trouble and wreak havoc in vegetable plantations. 

With sugarcane fields being harvested and left barren, wild boars and nilgai are creating severe problems for the farmers in areas like Ramnagar Rural Municipality–6, Sisauta, said Ramprit Rai Yadav.

Yadav also shared concerns about the threat of wild boar and nilgai attacking women who go to the fields to collect fodder. 

Due to increasing deforestation and human encroachment, large numbers of wild animals such as monkeys, nilgai, deer and wild boars are intruding the farmland, causing significant distress to the farmers.