Row over forest dept order to limit cattle in villages

A controversy has arisen in the Hanur taluk of the Chamarajanagar district of Karnataka after the Forest Department issued a circular instructing farmers not to rear cows and cattle in villages located in the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary. The circular has angered not only the cattle owners, but also farmers, farmers' organizations, and wildlife activists. They argue that the villagers in the region are raising cows and buffaloes for a livelihood in the deep jungles of the sanctuary, and the instruction to stop this is unfair. The Karnataka Farmers Federation (KFF) has announced an agitation if the Department sticks to the circular. Wildlife activist Punajanur Doreswamy has condemned the instruction, calling it unscientific and damaging to the livelihood of the farmers living in the sanctuary. The Department should not affect their livelihood when the state government itself promotes dairy farming as an alternative income to youths and farmers in the villages.