A 14 km electric fence is being constructed towards the western side of the Gaduwa Line Range Post of Parsa National Park to prevent wildlife incursions into human habitats and farms.

The project is underway with the support of Panchamukhi, Kusumbatika and Nirmal forest users’ committees, according to Ashok Ram, the park’s information officer.

The fence is primarily meant to keep wild elephants from entering the villages situated near the park. Wild elephants  have long been troubling the people living at the park’s buffer zone.

The concerned villagers hope that the electric fence will mitigate human-wildlife conflict.

The park authority also expects the incidents of wildlife-related deaths and crop predation to go down, thus saving it the trouble of forking out a considerable sum of money for compensation.

Ashok Ram said the project will cost Rs 7 million and the park authority plans to hand over the responsibility of its maintenance to the three forest users’ committees By involving the local communities, the park authority is making sure that the new fence is not damaged or breached by villagers who venture inside the park to collect firewood and fodder.

The previous electric fences at Manahari and Makwanpur areas did not last long because of human encroachment, said Ashok Ram.