Bhubaneswar: In this scorching heat wildlife animals are exhibiting abnormal behaviours. To quench their thirst they are entering human habitats. Shortage of food also has made them restless.
Prevailing heatwave condition in the state has caused death of several wild animals. For instance, the recent death of two female elephants — one in Niyamgiri hills of Kalyansinghpur in Rayagada district and the other at Haladiamba orchard under Rengali range of Sambalpur district. The two deaths are suspected to have been caused by sunstroke.
The state has also received reports of animals entering human habitation for water. Orissa POST has reported the rescue of two elephants in these columns (Thirsty jumbos fall into wells, rescued, May 27). They were trapped in two wells in two separate villages under north Ghumusar forest division near Bhanjanagar (Ganjam). In fact, these pachyderms met with this accident while searching for water sources.
Incidents like a four-year child mauled to death by a leopard in Nuapada village have also occurred. Wildlife experts attribute the mishaps to non-availability of food and water resources in the forests. They concluded that the heat-wave condition would further aggravate the man-animal conflict in the state.
“The prevailing condition will force wild animals to leave their habitats and enter residential areas in search of food and water. So more efforts have to be taken to ensure food and water supplies in the forest,” said wildlife expert Biswajit Mohanty.
Despite the onset of monsoon showers, depletion of forest cover would force the wildlife to enter human habitations. According to reports, there are 362 stone crusher units in 212 villages of Dharmashala block in Jajpur district. Forty of these crusher units are mega units located at the foothills of Dankari, Rahadapura and Kusumpur.
“The forest space is getting shrunk due to development work. Deforestation is taking place for activities like agriculture, mining and rail development. Apart from these, we are selectively cutting down the trees inside the forest. This has destroyed the complex nature of the forest and affected the ecosystem. So, measures have to be taken for protecting forest cover,” said environmentalist Jaya Krushna Panigrahi.
Top forest officials also admitted that they were facing a challenging situation. “We have already taken efforts to generate more water sources and protect the existing sources in the forest. But the increasing temperature is creating a challenging situation and water is getting dried up. However, we are taking every effort to manage the situation,” said a top forest official.
Jose K Joseph, OP
