The
Haryana Wildlife Department is conducting a survey to check the number
of wild animals, including leopards, in the vicinity of Aravalli
mountain range - from Bhiwani to Faridabad district.
The
assignment was handed over to the Wildlife Institute of India (WLII) in
January, with the department expecting to complete the project in
June.
“Aravalli
mountain range in Haryana is known for being a natural habitat for
wildlife animals such as leopards, hyena, jackal and peacocks among
others. With a focus on big cats, the institute has been given the task
to identify locations and number of wildlife animals,” said Raj Kumar
Bhatia, district forest officer (wildlife) Gurgaon.
Leopards come towards areas with a
human population to look for food, especially in summer. A leopard cub
was found injured in a village near Gurgaon in December last year.
Bhatia
believes that the long-pending initiative to ascertain the number of
leopards in Aravalli is important as other ranges and natural parks like
Gir Forest, Nandan Kanan and Jim Corbett have mechanisms in place to
calculate the number of wildlife animals, but Aravalli is not able to
achieve the same status due to lack of data.
“The
last survey that was conducted approximately three years ago found that
there were over 10 leopards in Gurgaon. However, the survey was only
partially successful as there was a scope for incoherent data. Hence, we
have decided to conduct another survey using scientific methods to get
the exact figure for the number of big cats living in the vicinity. WLII
will use methods like photographs of pug marks in particular areas to
calculate the numbers,” Bhatia said.
The
Aravalli mountain range covers Bhiwani, Mahendragarh, Rewari, Gurgaon,
Mewat, Faridabad and Palwal in Haryana with officials saying that dense
forests spread into territories of Gurgaon and Faridabad.
Areas like Manesar, Raisina, Bhondsi, Damdama and Mangarbani are recognised as wildlife habitats for leopards.
While
officials are not in a position to tell the exact number of big cats,
villagers believe there are 25-30 leopards in the dense forests of
Manesar, Raisina and Bhondsi in Gurgaon district.
“WLII
will study natural ponds, caves and thickness of forest areas to find
out the basic requirements for wildlife. The department will act on the
basis of the report to ensure that wildlife is not deprived of natural
habitat,” Bhatia said.
“We
have seen many leopards dying due to road accidents in Gurgaon and
Faridabad in the past. They usually come towards areas with human
population in search of water and food, especially in summers. Once the
study report is submitted, we will release goats, deers or other animals
into the dense forests in order to provide sufficient food for
leopards. We may also replenish ponds to help leopards stay inside dense
forests,” he added.
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