Salona gets solar fences to prevent animal intrusions

Guwahati: The Northern Range of Salona in Assam’s Nagaon district has started installing solar-powered fences to deter wild animals from Kaziranga National Park from entering human habitations. This initiative aims to protect both the wildlife and the local communities by creating an effective barrier that minimises human-animal conflicts.

In June, two tigers that were displaced from the national park due to flooding had terrorized the residents of Sonarigaon, Kamakhya gaon, and Koliabor tea estate in Nagaon. Although no human casualties were reported, the tigers killed more than 40 cattle heads owned by locals.

The forest department remained alert, setting up traps and cameras in the area to control the movement of wild animals.

Bibhuti Mazumdar, Northern Saloni range officer, said while tiger sightings had decreased, locals still reported seeing tigers near Nagaon’s Hatimura area on the last day of Durga Puja. “Since Hatimura is in close proximity to the park, the animals occasionally stray here,” the range officer explained.

The installation work for these fences has started in several areas bordering Assam’s Golaghat district. The fences will cover a distance of about six kilometers, stretching from Silghat’s Kamakhya temple to Hatimura.

The range officer stressed that this is an effective way to protect the population, as elephants, tigers and wild boars often find ways to enter human settlements.

“These suspended solar-powered fences, positioned 14 feet above the ground, will generate controlled pulses of electricity by converting alternating current (AC) to direct current (DC). Despite the high voltage, the wild animals will experience a brief, non-fatal shock. The objective of these pulses is to create a psychological deterrent rather than inflicting physical harm,” the range officer further elaborated.

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