Why these farmers have started making their dogs resemble tigers

Shivamogga: A farmer in Karnataka says he has found a unique solution to protect his coffee and areca crop from the menace of monkeys.

Srikanth Gowda, a farmer from Naluru village in Shivamogga district's Thirthahalli Taluk has dyed the fur of his dog to make him look like a tiger.

He said that he decided to paint his dog after his earlier measures - using soft toys of tigers - failed to do get him the desired result.

"Earlier I used to bring soft toys (of tigers) from Goa and place them in my fields to scare away the monkeys. But in the long run, the colour of the toy would fade and the monkeys would return and damage the crop," he said, adding "Then I painted my dog Bulbul using hair dye to make him look like a tiger," Mr Gowda told news agency.

"I now take Bulbul to the fields twice a day - once in the morning and once in the evening. I have seen the monkeys run away at the sight of the dog resembling a tiger. The monkeys now refrain from entering my plantations," he said.

Mr Gowda's daughter Amulya said that seeing the success of her father's trick, other villagers have also started doing so.

"Earlier we used to face a lot of problems due to the monkey menace. They used to destroy our crops. It was my father's idea to paint our dog like a tiger to scare away the monkeys. In our village everyone is appreciating and replicating my father's idea," said Amulya.