Stop barbed wire use, save animals: Minister

Forest officers check barbed wires in a tea garden in the Dooars.
File picture

ANIRBAN CHOUDHURY, TT, 12 Nov 2018, Alipurduar: Bengal forest minister Binoy Krishna Burman has called for an end to the use of barbed wires to fence tea gardens in order to prevent wild animals from either getting injured or killed.

Tea planters are increasingly using barbed wires to protect plants and workers from animal depredations. 

Barbed wires are designed to inflict serious injuries to anyone attempting to climb up them Burman asked forest officers to sit with management of tea gardens and trade unions and convince them not to use barbed wires. 

"Barbed wires are being used to fence gardens, but this is dangerous as they can cause grievous injuries to wild animals. Small animals like leopards, deer and rabbits are 

either getting injured or killed on a regular basis," he said. Officers of the Buxa Tiger Reserve have already met representatives of many tea estates and impressed upon them the need to provide free access to animals.

Suvankar Sengupta, the field director of the tiger re- serve, said: "We have already told garden officials not to use barbed wires to fence plantations and also not to encroach on elephant corridors. They were advised not to disturb animals when they enter their gardens." 

Ram Avtar Sharma, the secretary of the Tea Association of India, Dooars branch, said gardens had been asked not use any material that could cause harm to the animals "We had recently organised a camp on Gopalpur Tea Estate in which experts from the Wildlife Institute of India also participated. 

They briefed the management and workers on ways to protect wild animals. We are trying to generate awareness among the workers as well," he said Elephants, leopard and deer are known to stray into tea gardens very often.