Forest fires drive wild animals to villages

By Rajani Yogi,Surkhet, May 2: Laxman Prasad Koirala of Narayan Municipality-1 in Dailekh district was saddened to see wild animals destroy his vegetable farm and crops near his house early in the morning.

With the loss of his entire harvest, his annual source of food and income, Koirala now worries about his livelihood.

According to him, wild boars, porcupines, hares and monkeys have been regularly destroying his crops, including ripening wheat, barley, vegetables and fruit plants. 

Chakra Bahadur Khatri, another local from the same area, echoed similar concerns, saying it has become nearly impossible to protect their crops. Despite surrounding his farmland with electric fencing, the problem persists and he urged the local government to implement effective solutions to protect their fields, he said.

Recently, wild animals have been entering settlements in search of food and shelter due to frequent fires in community forests. Khatri explained that wildfires, which began even before March, are still occurring occasionally. While locals have managed to prevent fire from reaching their homes, they have failed to protect the forests.

With food shortages, loss of shelter and increased human presence in forests due to wildfires, wild animals such as boars and other species have started moving toward villages in search of food. Forest fires have led to a significant rise in animal sightings in human settlements.

Some wild animals have even been spotted hiding in nearby bushes and thickets. Ongoing fires have made animals feel unsafe in the forest, prompting them to enter villages and spreading fear among residents. 

This year, fires have also been reported in the Sheersthan Women’s Community Forest and Phaleni Community Forest. The resulting damage has affected settlements like Dhulpur, Dhawani, Pinale, Ratimate and Basnet Tole in Narayan Municipality Ward No. 1.

Meanwhile, Karnali Province has seen a rising number of fire-related human casualties. Most of these incidents involve house fires. 

According to data from the Provincial Police Office in Surkhet, the number of fire incidents and resulting casualties is increasing. So far this fiscal year, 122 fire incidents have been recorded across the province, resulting in five deaths and 14 injuries. 

SSP Shiva Kumar Shrestha, spokesperson for the Karnali Province Police Office, shared that in fiscal year 2021/22, 131 fire incidents caused 15 deaths and nine injuries. In 2022/23, there were 114 fire incidents, eight deaths and 22 injuries.

In fiscal year 2023/24, the province recorded the highest number of fire incidents (342), resulting in 18 deaths and 21 injuries. Most of these fires occurred in forest areas, often putting nearby settlements at significant risk.