This farmer quenches thirst of wild animals

A farmer has constructed a pond to help wild animals who stray into farmland in search of water and food to quench their thirst at Arasinaguppe in Somwarpet taluk.

M T Baby has constructed a pond on a half-acre land at a cost of Rs 25 lakh, on his land situated on the periphery of Banavara Reserve Forest in Thorenooru Gram Panchayat, Somwarpet taluk, in Kodagu district.

The wild animals were straying into his farmland and were engaged in destroying crops. To provide water for them, he has constructed a pond on the periphery of the forest and is now able to save his crops as well.

Baby was working as a tailor in Gonikoppa and Srimangala in the past. Later, he settled at Arasinaguppe village in 1995 and he started farming activities by purchasing barren land.

When eight borewells that he sunk to irrigate the farmland failed, he decided to construct a pond to store water that flows from the hilly ranges during monsoon.

The storing of water helped in rejuvenating two borewells which help him to irrigate his farmland.

He developed the pond in a phased manner which helped him to store a huge quantity of water. The pond has helped in increasing the groundwater table in surrounding areas as well.

In his 18 acres of land, Baby cultivates coffee on 10 acres. He has planted 5,000 silver oak trees and over 4,000 pepper vines and thus has converted barren land into a green patch.

As the wild animals were straying into his farmland, he decided to construct a pond on the periphery of the forest on his land, so that the animals could quench their thirst. Elephants, bison, deer, peacocks and other animals quench their thirst from the pond.

Baby said, “After I constructed a pond to quench the thirst of wild animals, the animals no longer engage in destroying crops.”

He is also engaged in pisciculture and earns Rs 3 lakh per annum.

Now, he is getting ready to construct another pond to store rainwater for which the estimated cost is Rs 10 lakh.