Baripada: If you ever visit the villages located inside Similipal sanctuary in Mayurbhanj district, your attention will definitely get drawn towards one thing. And it is ‘two eyes’ painted on the thighs of the cattle’s hind legs.
After seeing this, can you stop yourself from finding out the reason behind this practice? As you are growing anxious to know the reason, this correspondent also could not help visiting the villages to meet the cattle rearers to know the exact reason behind this strange practice.
After a strenuous trekking, this correspondent stumbled upon some villages inside Similipal sanctuary. Mayurbhanj district is surrounded by Similipal ecosystem. And there are over 51 villages in the sanctuary. The people living in these settlements rear cattle, goats and sheep. This is, in fact, one of the few other sources to earn their livelihood.
During interaction with the villagers, it was understood that the more number of cattle one has the richer they are. The cattle are their property.
Since the cattle are their property, they do whatever they can to save them. As they are living inside the sanctuary, the possibility of their cattle being attacked by wild animals is always high. To protect their cattle, they have devised a unique formula.
They are drawing two ‘eyes’ on the hind thigh of the cattle. From a distance, the cattle look like a pack of ferocious animals. This way, they can put the wild animals in puzzle.
The villagers claim that the trick is earning good results. Since the time they applied the trick, no incident of their cattle being attacked by wild animals has so far been reported. The wild animals may be getting afraid after seeing.
This correspondent met a young environmentalist, Abhisek Acharya. Referring to a practice followed in Sundarban, Acharya said that Royal Bengal tigers more often than not would attack those people who live inside the core area of the jungle. To save themselves from the attack of tigers, they would wear a mask facing backwards. This way, they succeeded in puzzling and terrifying the big cats.
“The people living in Similipal sanctuary are following the same trick. But here, they are saving the lives of their cattle. The people of other villages have also been encouraged to follow the trick.”
A villager of Lulung area, Raibari Singh says, “We are no longer going along with the cattle to graze them. They return home after grazing in jungles with no fear at all. The artificial eyes are protecting them.”
Echoing the same, Bhaskar Chandra Mahanta says, “Cattle with a set of two painted eyes on their hind thighs are looking like ferocious animals. This is the reason the wild animals hiding inside bushes are not attacking them. The trick has been gaining popularity in the nearby villages as well.”
PNN