The heat wave sweeping across the coastal district of Jajpur has affected animals in the Bairi forest and its nearby areas. Special care is being taken by the forest officials to protect the 40 elephants, 2,000 spotted deer , 3,000 wild boars and other animals as the water in the small ponds in the forest keeps drying up.
Animals are also being taken care of by the forest authority to save them from the scorching heat as the animals are more susceptible to heat, said forest officer of Bairi forest.
“We are making all arrangements to ensure that the heat wave does not cause any casualty,” said the forest officer.
In summer, many deer and wild boars venture out from the forest areas to nearby ponds and other water bodies in the nearby villages to quench their thirst as the hoofed animals cannot get sufficient sweet water to drink in the forest.
Summer is the paradise for the poachers to kill deer and wild boars. The poachers kill deer and wild boars by trapping near the ponds of the villages while the animals come to drink.
This year , the forest officials dug 12 and renovated about 32 ditches inside the forest to provide water to the spotted deer and other animals to prevent the animals to enter villages in search of water , informed the forest official.
Fire in the forest in summer is common and each summer fire engulfs large tracts of forest land and destroys forest and kills animals. Many villagers and honey collectors slyly enter the forest areas to collect honey from the beehives inside the forest and they use fire or smoke to dissuade the bees from the hives before collecting honey.
This year the forest officials have deployed about 40 forest guards inside the forest and imposed blanket ban on honey collection inside the park areas, said the forest officer.
To check fire in the forest, the forest department has also banned cooking inside the forest areas by the tourists. Forest guards and watchers have been instructed to keep close eyes on the forest areas and inform the fire brigade and forest officials immediately after fire in the forest, said the forest official.