Katarniyaghat Wildlife Sanctuary, a unit of the Dudhwa Tiger reserve, remains the safest haven for the wildlife in the state. While the last census carried out by Project Tiger gave an estimated count of 110 big cats in the entire Dudhwa National Park, the state census in 2005 put the figure for Katarniyaghat alone at 58. And it is not the tiger population alone that is increasing here, ghariyals and the Gangetic dolphins, two wildlife species that are threatened everywhere in the country, are also flourishing in this area.
Tiger sightings have been better in this area, a thing testified by two-fold increase in tourist traffic to Katarniyaghat and the shooting of a number of films there.
One reason for the changed scenario is the success of the Forest department in checking poaching activities in this wildlife sanctuary. Katarniyaghat’s Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) RK Singh says the Forest department has adopted only traditional methods to check poaching to keep the tigers safe.
“We properly monitor the interiors of the forest, missing out virtually nothing, and this has resulted in checking poaching to a considerable extent. We make it a point to remove every trap that is set up for the tiger and this has increased the visibility of the big cat considerably in the area,” he added.
The DFO said that though no modern technique was used to safeguard the tigers, but the methods employed had given rich dividends.
This success is testified by the fact hat only four poaching incidents involving tigers have taken place in Katarniyaghat between 2004 and 2007 and none in the past two years.
The other wildlife species that find Katarniyaghat to be a safe haven are the ghariyals. These reptiles that have been declared as a highly endangered species by the IUCN have found a successful breeding area in Katarniyaghat. The sanctuary has over 170 adult ghariyals and 1,200 more are expected to add to the number after the successful hatching of 28 nests, each having 30-52 eggs.
“The eggs have a 60 per cent survival chance and we are following the wait and watch policy to see how many survive in the end. But there will be addition to the number of ghariyals that are already present in the area,” the DFO said.
Ghariyal breeding has succeeded because the nests were collected and brought to the single sand bar in the Gherwa river. “The nests were collected by the Forest employees and brought to one place at the sand bar. By ensuring the survival of the eggs, the major task of safeguarding them was made possible” Singh added.
While the Gangetic dolphin is almost on the verge of extinction elsewhere, it can be sighted in the Gherwa river. The DFO proudly claims the presence of at least 15-20 dolphins. These can be easily sighted. The dolphins survive in the area that falls between two forest outposts.
Spread over an area of 400.09 sq km, the sanctuary, which was established in 1976, became a part of the wildlife division in 1997 and a unit of the Tiger Reserve in 2003-04. At present, one of the problems faced by the sanctuary is encroachments. “It is not the traditional tribes of Tharus that have usurped the land of the forest area but other people,” Singh pointed out.
Incidentally, more than the encroachment, the problem that is troubling the Forest department most in this area is another surprising news. “Eagles pick up young ghariyals as they sweep down the area and this is one problem we do not know how to handle, It is a major problem for us,” Singh said.
