Mahendranagar, 17 September

Lately in the Baitadi district, due to tigers (leopards), bears, monkeys, and wild boar, there has been a problem to save lives by killing the love of farming. In Baitadi, 26 people have died and 13 people have been injured in the attacks of leopards and wild boars.

On Thursday, 17-year-old Pooja Lohar was seriously injured after being attacked by a leopard in Pancheshwar, but 55-year-old Gaja Bahadur Bhat was seriously injured by a bear attack in Melauli Municipality-3.

50-year-old Meena Bhatt of Dogdakedar Rural Municipality-4, Pipalkot was injured when a monkey attacked her while she was cooking in the kitchen. Unable to bear the monkey terror, Meena's family left the mountain village and went down to the plains.

Most of the farmers in Pipalkot have stopped farming because of the monkeys. Harisharan Bhatt, a resident, said that as it became difficult to save lives from wild animals, migration from the village increased.

65-year-old Manorath Joshi of Pipla tol (Mannam) has died after being attacked by a wild boar. Two years ago, 45-year-old Bal Bahadur Karki of Dogdakedar-1 was seriously injured in a wild boar attack. 38-year-old Madan Singh Saud of Pancheswar Rural Municipality-3 was injured last year while trying to chase away a wild boar that had entered the cornfield.

In this district, human losses are caused every year due to attacks by carnivorous leopards, bears and wild boars. Since 2068, leopards have attacked the most people. Madan Joshi, Statistics Officer of Division Forest Office, Baitadi, said that 26 people were killed by leopards. According to the statistics of the division forest office, the number of people killed and injured after being attacked by wild boars and leopards.

Because of wild animals, it used to be difficult to save farming, but now it is difficult to save lives, the locals complain. The number of people leaving the village and migrating is increasing after bears, monkeys, and wild boars attack and kill farmers in their homesteads.

After the increase in monkey terror in the village, women farmers of Dasharatchand municipality reached the office of the mayor and demanded security. Mayor Pushkar Raj Joshi said that there is more fear of monkeys in Dasharatchand Municipality.

Mayor Joshi said that more than 200 women farmers from wards No. 5, 8, and 10 of Dasharathchand municipality came to the municipality with a procession saying that they had become homeless due to monkeys.

During the elections, the campaign to drive away the monkeys, which became the election agenda, has not been able to achieve significance. Locals complain that the issue of monkeys becomes complicated after winning. As per the Forest Act, monkeys are not allowed to be killed, so it is difficult for the people's representatives to fulfill their election promises.

Man-eating leopards and wild boars have been causing human damage in Pancheshwar, Shivnath Rural Municipality, and Melauli Municipality of Lower Swarad region. Children who are playing in the yard and studying at school are often preyed upon by leopards.

Gorakh Bahadur Chand, Chairman of Pancheswar Rural Municipality, said that due to the lack of electricity in the Lower Swarad area, wild animals have caused more damage to people and crops. Chairman Chand said that even though the farmers who have suffered from wild animals have complained, the local level government has no authority in this regard.