Cattle grazing in the Betla National Park is a big nuisance and problem to wildlife in the tiger reserve Palamu. As the human population in the villages around the tiger reserve has increased manifold since this tiger reserve came into existence in 1974, the problem of cattle grazing has accordingly gone up.
Bison are one of the silent sufferers to the cattle's intrusion into their territory. Cattle grazing takes place during the day. By evening cattle disappear from the tiger reserve. Cattle grazing is an all season headache to the PTR. It becomes more acute in summer.
There are 8 villages around the park namely Pokhree, Garee, Kuchila, Kaer, Matnag etc.
There is no house where there is no cattle. Some households have two or three cattle. Others have just one. Cattle are the baseline of the village economy here.
No shepherd remains in sight for fear of being questioned by the officials of the park. The shepherds and the trekkers know each other and that makes this problem all the more serious.
There are around 80 bison in the Betla National Park. It is mostly in compartment 1 and 2 of the park . Bison wants privacy which is outraged by the cattle. Bison retreat into the jungles if cattle are around.
Bison are extremely uncomfortable with the cattle, admits deputy director north division of the tiger reserve Palamu P K Jena. Betla National Park comes under the north division of the tiger reserve Palamu.
Jena said "The farmers' cattle are invaders. They eat palatable grasses meant for our wildlife. Similarly they drink gallons of water again meant for our wildlife."
"Our bison just hate the cattle. They try to maintain a distance from the cattle." reminded this officer.
On being asked if the cattle are so much of a problem and a menace to the wild life in PTR / Betla National Park, then its entry be banned and cattle farmers be booked to which Jena said "We have forest boundary with the villages. It's long and porous. Entry of cattle is just not so easy to be banned by any administrative order."
He said "The problem of cattle grazing in our jungles in the PTR can be curtailed if the local administration begins raising small patches of meadows and pastures to the cattle in the villages itself under Pashu Dhan Yojna fund for or with MGNREGA."
"I am told of a large chunk of gair majrua land here. Gair majrua land is solely a government land. Here grass fields can be raised by the civil administration. It will take off the biotic pressure of the cattle on our jungles." reiterated Jena
The deputy director north division further said "Stall feeding of the cattle is not seen here in the cattle farmers' houses. It is because of the high price of the fodder. The cattle farmers just do the easy thing. They push their cattle into our grass lands little knowing the adverse effects of it on the wild life in PTR."
Cattle pose health risk too to the wild life. It is FMD (foot and mouth disease) which is a highly severe contagious disease. Barring horses and dogs FMD affects almost all the animals.
Jena said "We go for inoculation to the cattle of the farmers. The farmers should also be concernful about it which they are not."
Veterinary officials claim enhanced inoculation to the cattle has contained the problem of the foot and mouth disease among the cattle. There is a nation wide fight against FMD as the government of India has set 2025 as the year of eradication of the FMD.
It is important to remember here that there was an episode of Anthrax attacking wild elephants here in the Betla National Park some 25 years ago.
Sources said there was launched a fire fighting measure to contain it and prevent it from any further spread out among the wild life here then.
