E-Paper
Dudhwa-Kishanpur corridor: Survey begins to track movement of wild animals
The UP forest department in collaboration with the World Wildlife Fund-India (WWF-India) has launched a survey of the trans-Sharda area between the Dudhwa National Park (DNP) and the Kishanpur Sanctuary (KS)
The UP forest department in collaboration with the World Wildlife Fund-India (WWF-India) has launched a survey of the trans-Sharda area between the Dudhwa National Park (DNP) and the Kishanpur Sanctuary (KS).
This vast stretch dotted with agricultural fields, human habitations apart from the Sharda river-bed is used by wild animals, particularly tigers, wild elephants and leopards as a functional corridor.
Sanjay Kumar Pathak, field director, Dudhwa Tiger Reserve (DTR), said, “The survey will assess how many species have been using this vital corridor, the frequency of visit, age-group and stay-period of the wild animals there, as also how cane-farming impacts the movement of wild animals and if the vast stretches of sugarcane fields encourage the stay of wild species.”
He further said, “It will explore human interventions and other biotic influences in this functional corridor to find out ways to strengthen it to safeguard wild animals and human lives too.”
Sundaresha, deputy field director of Dudhwa buffer zone, said, “The survey will study the movement of wild animals in this corridor during different seasons and in different situations, like before and after the cane crop harvesting.”
He added “It will also study the crop pattern followed by the local farmers and its impact on behaviour of tigers, wild elephants, swamp deer and other protected species.”
Pathak said, “The survey would suggest which type of intervention was required to prevent man-animal conflict in this corridor.”
Pathak had sent a proposal to strengthen the DNP-KS corridor several months back, in which he had highlighted the movements of wild animals in this area. He had also emphasised the public cooperation in altering the crop pattern and to compensate farmers the price difference between the cane crop and the alternate crop, to put an effective check on man-animal conflicts.
DEO KANT PANDEY
