Tiger flex ensures there is no monkey business at farm in Sankarakaliya

MANGALURU: Farmer Aulin Serrao, a resident of the remote Sankarakaliya village on the Udupi-Dakshina Kannada border, has found an innovative way to keep monkeys from raiding his coconut plantation. He has put up a flex with a tiger's picture on it on his farm. Aulin says it has helped in scaring monkeys away.
The idea of hanging a picture of a tiger to scare monkeys and other wild animals struck Aulin, 67, when he was watching nature related TV channels. "When I was watching a series on big cats, I learnt that monkeys are scared of tigers. They run away whenever they see a tiger. I put a flex with a tiger's picture on it four months ago, and the monkeys have stayed away from my land since then. When the flex rustles due to the breeze, it appears as though the tiger is moving. The idea has worked and monkeys are staying away," Aulin told TOI.
Aulin owns about 20 acres. His coconut plantation is situated on the banks of the Shambhavi river. Aulin's plantation faces a threat from monkeys, peacocks, wild boars, porcupines and bison, which keep raiding the farm. A group of four monkeys often invaded his plantation and destroyed his crops. "I had no coconuts to pluck, as the monkeys devoured them all. I used to face huge losses. They also plucked raw coconuts, which added to the overall damage."
After his idea worked, Aulin now plans to install similar banners across other parts of his plantations. "This time I want to put three tigers on the flex-one on the middle, flanked by two tigers on the sides. I know we cannot kill birds or animals, but these tactics will definitely keep them away," says Aulin, who grows paddy, coconut and arecanut on his farm.