During the summer season with rising mercury level and high humidity, many wildlife fauna, especially wild boars and deer, generally stray from the Bhitarkanika National Park to the nearby ponds and other water bodies located on the fringe areas to quench their thirst. The water bodies and ditches generally dry up inside the forest during this time.
So, arrangements were made to ensure that there is adequate drinking water so that the animals do not dehydrate and do not stray from the forest to the human habitations, informed Rajnagar Mangrove (forest) and Wildlife Division DFO Sudarshan Gopinath Jadhav.
As many as 12 existing ponds along with some ditches have been renovated and a new pond has been excavated under the Kanika Forest Range, with an aim to mitigate the water scarcity and provide sufficient water to the hoofed animals for drinking purpose, informed DFO Jadhav.
A special care has also been taken by the forest officials to protect the penned estuarine crocodiles, including 48 years’ old albino Gori, 20 years’ old albino Malli and 5 years’ old albino Sundari, as the Forest Department has already cleared the weeds of the ponds and also renovated the pens, stated Kanika Forest (wildlife) Ranger Manas Kumar Das.
Similarly, the Forest personnel have also taken steps to provide a better cooling environment to nearly hundreds of estuarine crocodile hatchlings, who are staying at the hatchery in the Dangamal Crocodile Research Centre as the reptile hatchlings are more susceptible to heat. The Forest personnel will take all efforts to ensure that heat waves do not cause any casualty in the summer, informed DFO Jadhav.