Baripada: Krushnachandra Gochhayat from Uthaninuagaon village under Badasahi police limits of Mayurbhanj district, an animal rescuer by choice, has been winning the hearts of people across the district for his noble deeds.
From dawn to dusk, Krushnachandra roams around in the dense forests and hilly terrains of Mayurbhanj along with his lone minor son and rescues wild animals. He says, he nurtured his noble hobby since childhood as a social responsibility.
“I have rescued over 30,000 venomous snakes so far and released them in the safer places including their wild habitats. I always enjoy rescuing animals that are either injured or have lost direction, even if the animals in trouble are ferocious,” the rural youth gleamed.
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“I have been training my eight-year-old son on animal rescue. My wife has also received training from me in catching venomous snakes. So far, I have taken part in more than 500 joint rescue operations carried out by forest personnel in core buffer areas of Similipal sanctuary of Mayurbhanj district. I was earlier working in Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR) project as an animal rescuer. I have also received training on tranquilisation and rescue skills,” the animal rescuer shared.
Krushnachandra was removed from his service by the STR authorities few months ago for no valid reason. If reinstated, he would continue to serve as before and rescue wild animals, the youth lamented.
Be it the interior areas or foothills of Mayurbhanj district, local villagers seek the assistance of Krushnachandra apart from forest staff. The youth has expertised rescuing wild animals, some villagers said.
Tactfully overpowering a wild animal and subsequently rescuing it is Krushnachandra’s routine activity. He has saved the lives of many animals including an 18-feet long king cobra, elephant, bear, deer and Sambar. The youth has also handed over a number of endangered and rare species of birds to forest personnel, the locals added.
Often Krushnachandra has been discouraged by his family members not to indulge in such risky activities, but nothing could stop him from doing so. He was inspired during his childhood days by the adventure series of ‘Man versus Wild’-fame Bear Grylls, the rescuer stated.
PNN