Forest dept provides water to wild animals inside jungle | Bhubaneswar News
Kendrapada: With water bodies around Bhitarkanika National Park and its nearby areas running dry with the advent of summer, the forest department has taken steps to provide water to prevent spotted deer, wild boars, and other animals from entering nearby villages in search of water. “Normally, water bodies in forest areas dry up during summer due to scarcity of rain. We renovated eight ponds, dug two new ponds, and installed around 40 cement pots in the forest to provide water to animals,” said Manas Das, assistant conservator of forest (ACF), Bhitarkanika National Park.
“Water scarcity often prompts animals to stray into nearby villages leading to animal-human conflict. Poachers also target the animals for which we are on high alert to prevent poaching. Forest guards have been directed to conduct regular patrolling in the villages around forest areas and keep a close watch on habitual poachers who place snares, wires, and traps to kill spotted deer and wild boars,” added the officer.
Special care is being taken by the forest officials to protect the penned estuarine crocodiles, including an albino crocodile named “Gori”, as the water in the small ponds where the reptiles are kept is drying. Around 60 baby crocodiles in the crocodile breeding and research centre at Dangamala are also being taken care of by the forest authorities as reptile hatchlings are susceptible to the heat, said the forest officer.
The forest department has identified vulnerable areas that need special attention, including forest borders and roads where human activity poses a threat to prevent wildfires. “We banned honey collection in the mangrove forest as honey collectors use smoke and fire to collect honey from the beehives,” said the forest officer. To prevent the destruction of forests and wildlife in forest fires, the forest department set up fire lines around the park. The fire lines will help in controlling any accidental forest fire, added the forest officer.
“We also installed fire extinguishers in boats and provided fire extinguishers to forest guards to check any fire accident. To check fire in the forest, the forest department also banned cooking inside the park areas by the tourists, and the forest guards and watchers were instructed to keep a close watch on the forest areas and inform fire brigade and forest officials at Rajnagar immediately after a fire in the forest,” said the forest official.
“Water scarcity often prompts animals to stray into nearby villages leading to animal-human conflict. Poachers also target the animals for which we are on high alert to prevent poaching. Forest guards have been directed to conduct regular patrolling in the villages around forest areas and keep a close watch on habitual poachers who place snares, wires, and traps to kill spotted deer and wild boars,” added the officer.
Special care is being taken by the forest officials to protect the penned estuarine crocodiles, including an albino crocodile named “Gori”, as the water in the small ponds where the reptiles are kept is drying. Around 60 baby crocodiles in the crocodile breeding and research centre at Dangamala are also being taken care of by the forest authorities as reptile hatchlings are susceptible to the heat, said the forest officer.
The forest department has identified vulnerable areas that need special attention, including forest borders and roads where human activity poses a threat to prevent wildfires. “We banned honey collection in the mangrove forest as honey collectors use smoke and fire to collect honey from the beehives,” said the forest officer. To prevent the destruction of forests and wildlife in forest fires, the forest department set up fire lines around the park. The fire lines will help in controlling any accidental forest fire, added the forest officer.
“We also installed fire extinguishers in boats and provided fire extinguishers to forest guards to check any fire accident. To check fire in the forest, the forest department also banned cooking inside the park areas by the tourists, and the forest guards and watchers were instructed to keep a close watch on the forest areas and inform fire brigade and forest officials at Rajnagar immediately after a fire in the forest,” said the forest official.
