Maharashtra Board Class 11 Agriculture Science and Technology Chapter 12 Protection From Wild Animals PDF Download

Protection From Wild Animals

Do you know?

1. Can you differentiate domestic and wild animals?

2. Which wild animals are harmful for agriculture crops?

In India, wildlife protection act 1972 is in enforcement. Now a days abundant population of wild animal is found on farms and near forests. Wild animals are special challenge for farmers throughout India. Many wild animals make heavy losses to farm and farm crops. They can damage the plant parts or crop simply by running in the field or trampling the crops. Farmers suffer heavy financial losses due to wild animals. These wild animals such as wild boars, monkeys, elephants, dears, nilgai, rabbits, moles, squirrels, parrots, peacock, etc. damage the crops.

Maharashtra is a home to a large number of animals including tiger, leopard, wild boars, monkey, rabbit, crocodile, bison, gawa, neilgai etc.

Use your brain power

What type of damage to crops and crop fields done by wild animals?

Up to which extent damage done by wild animals?

Collect information about wild life protection act.

For security of agricultural crops and crop fields every farmer should be aware and take into consideration the fact that animals are living beings and need to be protected from any potential suffering

Always remember

1. Wild boars are highly adaptable to wide range of climate.

2. They are opportunistic, omnivorous. They eat mostly plant material and invertebrate animals such as worms, insects, insect larvae, etc.

3. They have high reproductive potential. They reach sexual maturity as early as six month of age and produce average about six piglets at each calving.

4. Female boar can furrowing twice per year.

5. They have low natural mortality.

Protection From Wild Animals

Wild Boars

Wild boars are unpredictable and have violent nature. Most noticeable feature of wild boar is long curved tusks. Fully grown wild boar weighs about 50 to 90 kgs. The razor sharp tusks itself is a primary weapon of wild boar. When agitated, they charge with these tusks. Sharpness of tusks and heaviness of his body could result in injuries.

Teacher's Note

Wild boars are very dangerous animals. In villages near forests, farmers put strong fences around their fields to protect their crops from wild boars.

Exam Trick

Remember: Wild boar has sharp tusks. It uses tusks like a weapon when it gets angry. So wild boar = sharp tusks = dangerous animal.

Points to Remember

Wild boars eat plants and small animals.
Female boars can have babies two times every year.
Wild boars can damage crops by trampling them.
Fences and fire crackers can keep wild boars away.
Wild boars are very unpredictable and violent.

Nature Of Damage

Wild boars consume and trample crops. Uprooting of crops and wallowing in the field may creates holes (pits) that can damage farm equipments and disturb farm operation.

Control Measure

1. Trapping wild boars by box traps, cage traps, corral traps, using prebaits and baits.

2. More than 40 transferable diseases (Zonatic diseases) affects on wild boar and some extent population may suppresses.

3. Use of fences like wire fences, plastic fences, electric fences (Zatka Machine), etc.

4. Natural repellent, electronic repellent, etc are used to keep wild boars away from crops.

5. Fire crackers are also effective for keeping away to these animals.

Monkeys

Near about 13 species of monkeys are found in India. They are often seen living in group of 20-30 feeding on the ground or sitting on trees.

Nature Of Damage

Monkeys are the notorious wild animals causing serious damages to agricultural crops. The monkeys consume plants as food and also change their food habits with change in season. Attack of monkeys could result in severe crop damage.

Always remember

1. Most monkeys live on trees, but there are some live in mountain areas.

2. Monkey tribes always move to find food. They do not have stable home.

3. Monkeys are very social animals.

4. Group of monkey is called tribe or troop. A troop will work together to take care of young monkeys in the group.

5. They also like to play, cuddle and protect each other.

6. The strongest and largest male monkey is the leader of the troop.

Teacher's Note

Monkeys live together in groups called troops. In your village, you may have seen monkeys jumping on trees and eating fruits and vegetables from farms.

Exam Trick

Remember: Monkeys live in troops. The strongest male is the leader. Troops = team of monkeys working together.

Points to Remember

Monkeys live in groups of 20-30 animals.
A group of monkeys is called a troop.
Monkeys eat plants and crops.
The strongest male monkey leads the troop.
Monkeys change their food when seasons change.

Control

1. Mix 1/3 cup of floor, 2 table spoon chilli powder and 2 table spoon mustard powder and sprinkle the mixture in the garden to keep away monkeys. The mixture of 4 cups of water and some vinegar can be sprinkled with pepper on vegetables will deter monkeys from eating them.

2. Small pockets of boneless dry fish pieces are made and kept around the field. After opening the pockets monkeys rub the fish with both hands. After smelling they get irritated and rub their hands on rocks and continue the operation till the blood come out from the hand. Leader of gang face the bad experience. Thus they never enter the same field.

3. The practice of driving them away by beating drums and using well trained dogs has been used since long time.

4. Catch one monkey and paint its whole body except eyes with red paint and leave that monkey in the field. Due to fear other monkeys will not enter in the field. Repeat the process when a new group enters in the field.

5. Use fire crackers (which make large sound) like rassi bomb / sutali bomb.

Teacher's Note

Farmers use many tricks to stop monkeys from eating crops. One trick is to paint one monkey red and let it go back to the group. The other monkeys get scared and run away.

Exam Trick

Remember: Chilli powder and dry fish both have strong smell and taste. Monkeys do not like them. So use these things to keep monkeys away from crops.

Points to Remember

Chilli powder and mustard powder keep monkeys away.
Monkeys get scared of loud drum sounds.
One red painted monkey can scare away the whole troop.
Trained dogs can help drive monkeys away.
Fire crackers make loud noise to scare monkeys.

Elephant

Recall a memory

1. Which is the largest land animal on the earth?

2. Discuss type of food of an elephant.

Two types of elephants are found on earth / world i.e. African elephant and Asian elephant. Group of elephant is called a herd.

Nature Of Damage

Wild elephants feed on agriculture crops, seeds, barks, leaves, grasses and trees. They use their tusks to pullout the bark from trees and dig roots out of the ground. They trample crops and damage crop fields. Also elephant cause damage to crops both in pre harvest and post harvest condition.

Always remember

1. They have characteristic long nose or truck, large, floppy ears, and wide thick legs.

2. Asian elephant and African elephant live at separate continents and have many unique features.

3. The herd is led by a matriarch, which is the oldest female. The matriarch will often teach young elephants in her herd.

4. Male elephants are called bulls and females are called cows. A baby elephant is called as a calf.

Teacher's Note

Elephants are very big and eat lots of crops. In some Indian villages, people use bees and chilli to keep elephants away from their farms.

Exam Trick

Remember: Elephants are scared of bees! So bee farming can give farmers extra money and also protect their crops. This is called geofencing.

Points to Remember

Elephants damage crops by trampling them.
A group of elephants is called a herd.
The oldest female leads the herd.
Elephants eat seeds, barks, and leaves.
Sound, light, and chilli can keep elephants away.

Control

1. Buzzing of the bees - Studies showed that elephants are repelled by the sound of honey bees. Therefore start bee keeping around the field, there by generate some source of extra income.

2. Noise – it is a common practice to use loud noise to scare away instructive elephants. Noise makers include fire crackers, pipe cannons, vehicle horns, and rifle shots.

3. Light – bright lights, oil lamps and fire are sometimes used along the perimeter of a farm area to scare elephant population nearby farm.

4. Smoke fire – in some areas people burn elephant dung that will smoulder and create heavy acrid smoke.

5. Hot chilli – Capsaicin spray can repel elephants. Simplest method consist of planting a row of chili around cultivated fields and gardens.

6. Elephant geo fencing – It is a means of detecting radio collared elephants that cross a virtual fence line. When an elephant with a collar passes through a virtual barrier, a message is sent to the wildlife management center along with GPS coordination. This will help them to take action against attack of elephant.

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