With the mercury hovering over 40 degree Celsius in northern Odisha, Forest officials are on alert to ensure that wild animals are not affected by the heatwave.
Usually, animals face the brunt of rising mercury with water bodies inside forest drying up. There has been no rainfall for the last six months in Balasore, Bhadrak, Keonjhar and Mayurbhanj districts. With water bodies drying up, animals venture into human habitations in search of water making them vulnerable to poachers.
Northern Odisha has three reserve forests - Kuldiha in Balasore, Hadgarh in Keonjhar and Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR) and National Park in Mayurbhanj. To tackle the situation, Forest officials claimed to have made elaborate arrangements.
Earlier, there were 24 water bodies inside the 272.75-sq km Kuldiha sanctuary besides eight minor irrigation projects. Last year, Forest officials dug up four more water bodies and created a number of water harvesting structures by blocking water bodies naturally. They said existing water bodies have been excavated to ensure that there is plenty of water for animals inside the forest.Usually, elephants feel the pinch of water scarcity during May and June. They come to Rishia, Tenda, Khemkat, Sindhua and Sitapatipur minor irrigation projects and stay nearby.
According to the latest census, there are over 3000 wild animals including 80 elephants, two tigers, 12 leopards, 1000 deers and 600 bears in Kuldiha sanctuary located in Nilagiri sub-division.
It also houses Gaur, Giant Squirrel and Sambar besides a variety of birds such as Hill Myna, peacocks, hornbills and reptiles.
Similipal is the biggest reserve forest in the country with an area of 2271.78 sq km. The forest is a potential habitat both for wild animals and plants with good population of tigers, leopards, elephants, Chital, Sambar and 304 species of birds.
In isolated pockets, migration of animals into nearby villages in search of drinking water has become a cause of concern for animal rights activists.
Wildlife activist PK Padhi said if immediate steps are not taken to provide enough water to the animals within forest limits, hundreds of them would fall prey to poaching. “Over 5,000 animals are killed every year as officials concerned fail to monitor the situation,” he alleged.
