Thirsty wild animals venture into Gurgaon as Aravallis dry up

With the Aravallis drying up in the summer heat, wild animals such as leopards are venturing into nearby Gurgaon in search of water, environmentalists said

The leopard sighting complaint from Golf Course Road on Monday evening has again brought to the fore the need for a wildlife corridor in the region.

In November 2016, a three-year-old leopard was beaten to death by the villagers of Mandawar after the animal strayed into the village. (PTI File Photo)

Although a proposal to create a wildlife corridor was mooted a year ago, no progress has been made on the project so far. Environmentalists also claim that the forest department is yet to complete the digging of watering holes in the Aravallis.

“The forest department has not learnt any lesson so far from the various man-animal conflicts in the region. Last November, a three-year-old leopard was beaten to death by the villagers of Mandawar after the animal strayed into the village. The government is not taking any steps to protect the wildlife,” said Vivek Kamboj, a city based environmentalist.

Kamboj said with the Aravallis drying up in the summer heat, wild animals are venturing into human habitations in search of water.

“Though the forest department has started the process of filling up water pits in the Aravallis using tankers, most of the natural bodies are drying up and the pits are also empty,” said SS Oberoi, green activist.

The forest department started filling up the pits last week, by which time summer has already set and the maximum temperature is now around 40 degrees Celsius in the region. The Aravallis, which is mainly made up of sandy terrain, has turned into a desert.