Dehradun wildlife experts on ‘killer’ trail

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Bhubaneswar: Two experts from the Wildlife Institute of India (WWI), Dehradun – Salvador Lyngdoh, a scientist on animal ecology and conservation biology, and Sougata Sadhukhan, a junior research fellowship candidate – have reached state Friday and held discussions with top forest officials on the recent incidents of sheep killings.
Adding to the spate of killings two more sheep were found killed and three critically injured at Banki in Cuttack district Friday morning. The incident followed similar sheep killing in Tigiria and Niali.
The sheep were killed with their intestines torn apart by the mystery animal(s). While the forest officials have failed to ascertain the exact reason of the deaths in Niali, the reports from Banki had further bewildered the Forest officials.
The arrival of the expert team from Dehradun has generated fresh ray of hope of finding a solution to the killer mystery.
Welcoming the government decision to invite experts from Wildlife Institute of India for analyzing the situation, local wildlife experts have demanded adequate compensation to sheep farmers who had lost their animals.
Earlier, wildlife experts who had come from Similipal reserve forest to investigate the mysterious killing of sheep at various places across the state failed to suggest concrete steps.
“Necessary amendments to compensation law are needed to cover sheep and pay immediate compensation to distressed farmers,” said secretary of Wildlife Society of Orissa Biswajit Mohanty adding “the government needs to publish an advisory on this issue to avoid any further incidents of human-wildlife conflict.”
All India Kisan Khet Majdoor Sangathan (AIKS) state president Rajendra Burma said “For many families, the sheep were the sole source of income and now they are devastated.” He warned of extreme measures if compensation was not released to farmers on a priority basis.
The killing spree is not limited to Niali alone, it has spread to places like Bhanjanagar, Jagatsinghpur and Tigiria. Environmentalists attribute these incidents to the rapid deforestation.
“Sources of food for the wild animals are decreasing day by day. Wild animals have no way out but to explore human habitats in search of livestock animals,” said eminent environmentalist Jaya Krishna Panigrahi. He advised that the need of the hour was afforestation and more importantly natural forests have to be conserved. PNN