Unscientific disposal of food waste by resorts and hotels on the periphery of national parks and wildlife sanctuaries has come under the scanner of the Forest Department.
This has been identified as one of the major factors that attract carnivores such as tigers and leopards into human landscape. Though the carnivores do not get lured by the food spill, they are attracted by prey animals like wild boars that feed on the leftover. The big cats stalk them and cross over to human habitation resulting in conflict situation.
The presence of a tiger at JLR property in the Kabini backwaters too has been attributed to improper waste food disposal practices, and hence the authorities will review the procedure used by resorts close to national parks across the State.
Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) P. Sridhar told The Hindu that there will be thorough review of the food disposal system, which at present seems unscientific.
“Wild boars are present in large numbers around the periphery of the parks and close to resorts and this is one of the reasons why carnivores stalk them and stray into human landscape. The triggering factor is the callous manner of disposing waste food by resorts,” he added.
Hence, the authorities want all resorts and hotels close to national parks to ensure a proper system of waste food disposal. The wild boars are habituated to human presence to the point of being domesticated owing to availability of food.
A wildlife activist on condition of anonymity pointed out that most resorts flout rules. “The common practice is to dig a pit and dump all wastes, which will have both biodegradable and non-degradable material and the wild boars rummage through it for food,” he said.
“Given the easy availability of food, the wild boar population tends to multiply and this will draw carnivores. If the big cats on the fringes succeed in making a meal of the boars, then it is only a step away from conflict situation,” he added.
Trap boars
The other option is to trap wild boars and clear the area of their population by releasing them back into the jungles. But the animals are prone to return if the food supply was not cut off. The presence of boars in human landscape is widely prevalent in Bandipur where tourists tend to feed the animals or dispose of food waste in the open drawing the animals in the process. Besides boars, deer and monkeys too have adapted to human presence, which is fraught with risk for humans and animals.