Mysuru: Installation of hanging solar fence by Forest Department to prevent wild elephant menace in the fringe villages of Saragur Forest Range in the district has been yielding good results and proving successful.

The Department has taken up the installation of stainless hanging solar fencing on a big scale in the forest areas that border villages. As farmers and villagers residing near Nugu Dam backwaters and Chikkadevammanabetta areas were severely affected by jumbo menace, the Department decided to install hanging solar fence on a pilot basis in various parts of Saragur Forest Range.

The Department has installed 15 to 20-feet high pillars every 15 feet from where stainless steel wires hang. The wires that dangle from these pillars do not touch the ground level. Solar power is passed on to the wires and when an elephant comes in contact with the wires, it gets mild shocks that do not pose any danger to its life.

Such fences are laid across the forest fringes to prevent the entry of elephants from the woods. Such fencing has proven very effective. Speaking to Star of Mysore, Saragur Range Forest Officer Mohsin Basha said that solar fencing designed to fight elephant menace is proving extremely beneficial in the region.