Vastly reduced wildlife sightings at Karnala Bird Sanctuary alarm Nature lovers, officials dismiss fears

Range Forest Officer claimed the difference in the sightings as compared to previous years was not much

PANVEL: The annual wildlife waterhole census at the Karnala Bird Sanctuary on Buddha Purnima has led to the sighting of only 23 species of the 82 birds and animals in the region. The figures are substantially lower than the sightings during similar censuses in previous years, and have raised questions about the impact of development in the region, although officials say the figures are based on the wildlife that turned up during the survey and do not reflect its actual presence. The sanctuary, located along the Mumbai-Pune highway to Goa and spread over 12.11 sq km, is rich in flora and fauna. It attracts over 75,000 bird watchers and trekkers annually.

Waterhole census at karnala bird sanctuary on Buddha Purnima. (HT PHOTO)

Three years ago, surveys of the area conducted on the basis of three seasonal counts had revealed the presence of over 150 species of resident birds and 37 avian migrants. Though primarily a bird sanctuary, Karnala is also reported to be home to animals such as the four-horned antelope, wild boar, jungle cat, muntjac, Indian fox, Indian hare, common langur, leopard, common mongoose and deer.

The survey is conducted every year on the full-moon night of Buddha Purnima over 24 hours, with three main water bodies being monitored. On May 12 and 13, a forest department team led by range forest officer (RFO) Narayan Rathod, with nine sanctuary officials, as well as six members from three NGOs, observed the pond near the Information Centre, the artificial water body at Apta and the Mayur dam where scaffoldings (machans) were constructed for constant monitoring and three trap cameras used.

The survey revealed the presence of eight white-throated kingfishers, one red whiskered nightingale, three Sunbirds, four crow pheasants, one black kite, 13 herons, one white- rumped shama, three drongos, four water cocks, three black drongos, one Indian golden oriole, three holas, three Indian night jars, five carpenter birds, two large-billed crows, three barbets, four bats, three koels, three monkeys, four squirrels, nine Hanuman langurs, one dhaman snake and one common cat snake.

In a similar survey conducted in 2018, 42 species of 181 birds and animals were sighted. The previous year, the figure was 25 species of 150 birds and animals.

This year’s figure has environmentalists worried. “The number of animal sightings has reduced in the past few years with no leopards, deer or hares being visible,” said Atul Jaitpal, a Nature lover. “The bird life is still good but it too has been affected over the years, which is obvious from the reduction of chirping sounds from the area.”

Jaitpal explained that the smaller birds in particular had reduced due to the presence of raptors or birds of prey like kites, eagles and vultures. “Birds of prey are present due to the garbage that is often dumped in the region,” he said.

Jaitpal added that the farmhouses, resorts and other development in the area were also taking a toll on the wildlife. “Loud music is played, and at some places, trees are being chopped,” he said. “The authorities need to make a concerted effort to curb human interference and undertake habitat restoration.”

Dismissing these fears, RFO Narayan Rathod claimed the bird and animal population had not reduced drastically. “The figure is of the number of birds and animals that turned up at the three waterholes during the time we were monitoring,” he said. “They come there depending on their thirst, and since the weather has been cloudy of late, that could be the reason.”

Rathod claimed the difference in the sightings as compared to previous years was not much. “In fact, we have even upgraded the sanctuary recently and improved the facilities for the rapidly growing number of Nature enthusiasts,” he said.