Kendrapara: The authorities of Bhitarkanika National Park (BNP) in Kendrapara district started Monday the installation of cameras in the second phase. The cameras are being installed to monitor the movement of animals and to curb poaching.
According to a senior forest official, the department had installed 20 sophisticated cameras in the first phase. A total of 300 cameras are to be installed in the park during the 2021-22 fiscal, under the All India Tiger Estimation (AITE) Project, the source stated.
The surveillance cameras in the second phase were installed at Barunei, Dobandhi, Thakuradia and Angari forests under Rajnagar range. The cameras can run for 24 hours at a stretch and also can store video footage for a month. Special teams have been formed for maintenance of the cameras, the senior forest official added.
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“Boat survey and camera traps were started for the first time in the mangrove forest. It will monitor movement of wildlife, patrolling staff, local villagers and poachers. A pair of cameras will be installed in every two square kilometres making a grid formation,” Rajnagar divisional forest officer (DFO) Jagyandatta Pati informed.
Many local residents and environmentalists raised questions about implementation of the camera. Like the previous solar fencing project which was erected to restrain animals from entering nearby villages and failed due to improper maintenance, the camera project will also be a failure, they claimed.
Notably, Bhitarkanika National Park is the country’s second largest mangrove ecosystem. The park has a rich biodiversity of flora and fauna. It also has around approximately 1,768 estuarine crocodiles and several other animals, as per a census carried out in January, 2021.
PNN
