Retaliatory measures adopted by villagers to prevent wild animals from harming them, their livestock and agricultural crops is taking a toll on wildlife population in Chhattisgarh.
During the past few years, electric fences and poisoning have killed a number of wild animals in the State, Additional Principal Chief Conservator Forest (Wildlife) Kailash Chandra Bebarta informed The Pioneer.
The Forest Department is offering compensation for the treatment of persons injured by wild animals and also in cases where wild animals kill livestock, he said.
Moreover, the Department also tries to compensate the victims in case of disability caused due to attack by animals and provide financial assistance to next of kin of victims killed by wild animals, Bebarta said.
“The Forest Department is taking every possible step to prevent conflicts between humans and wildlife. As wild animals sometimes move towards human population in quest of water and foods, we have created water trenches in dry patches of national parks and tiger reserves and also making necessary efforts to provide them rich habitat’’, he said.
Besides, the Department also organises programmes to create awareness among villagers, so that they should keep necessary instructions in mind to avoid conflicts, he said.
Notably, human-wildlife conflicts claimed lives of 103 people and 66 wild animals between 2013 and February 11, 2015. loss of property to the tune of around Rs55277138 was recorded in around 11360 cases of wild animals attack took place in 2013 in the State, Rs 36982980 in 11561 cases in 2014 and Rs7317127 in 2939 cases reported till February, 2015. At least 63 people were killed by Tuskers and other wild-animals across the State in 2014-15.
In an attempt to deal with the issue of human-wildlife conflict, which may possibly occur due to shortage of water coupled with uncomfortably high temperature and hot wind, the State Forest Department would soon take up series of measures in national parks, tiger reserves and rich forested pockets of the State.
Aiming to resolve the issue, officials of Forest Department will be launching a drive for identification of dry patches in national parks and tiger reserves and create water trenches in such dry patches depending upon movement of wild animals.
Moreover, a series of steps would also be taken by the Department for ensuring rich habitat to wildlife, said a senior officer in Forest Department.
It is necessary to initiate some concrete moves to avert man-animal conflicts because it indirectly takes toll on the wildlife population, said Wildlife Conservationist Mansoor Khan, elaborating that retaliatory measures taken by people in such areas is claiming lives of wild animals.
Recalling some previous incidents, Khan said that a tiger was killed in Amaniya forest falling in Pandariya forest range and a tigress was beaten to death in Jamunpani forest range under Kawardha forest division in Chhattisgarh.
It may be recalled that three persons including an employee of Chhattisgarh forest department were killed by a female wild bear in a forested village Navagaon in Mahasamund district in March this year. later, police later shot dead the wild bear.
loss and damage to agricultural crops, damage to forest plantation, trees and seedlings, livestock killed by wild animals, competition with livestock for pasture (overgrazing), water and space (rarely) and villagers frequently visiting forests for picking forest produce, are some key causes of human-animal conflicts, added Khan.
As a move to check menace of bear frequently reported in different parts of the state, Chhattisgarh government has announced ‘Jamvant Pariyojana’. Under this project, plantation of fruit bearing trees, pond development and other requisite works will be done in areas having maximum bear population for checking human-bear conflict by providing them natural habitat.