Bhupendra Patel announces 10 Leopard Cages per Taluka for enhanced wildlife management in South Gujarat

During the 23rd meeting of the State Board for Wild Life, presided over by Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel in Gandhinagar, instructions were issued to the forest department to initiate preliminary surveys for the declaration of a sanctuary in the intact forest area spanning 69,668.51 hectares across two divisions of the Surat forest circle.

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The Forest Department's field officers will conduct surveys encompassing information, flora, and fauna in seven ranges, including Umarpada, Vadpada, Mandvi North and South, and Kherwada, Tapti, and Vajpur in the Tapi Vyara region of Surat district.

Additionally, the meeting unveiled 15 proposals for infrastructure development, including laying underground optical fiber cables, installing mobile towers, and constructing roads in seven sanctuaries across the state, including Wild Ass Sanctuary, Kutch, Balaram-Ambaji, Narayan Sarovar, Gir, Jambughoda, and Shurpaneshwar.

Addressing the issue of human-leopard conflicts, the meeting reviewed long-term measures taken by the forest department. Senior Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) Nityanand Srivastava presented ongoing efforts, including the procurement of sufficient tranquilizer guns to handle hostile leopards. Given the high human population density in South Gujarat, the plan is to establish 10 cages per taluka to capture leopards approaching human settlements. The department has initiated the radio-collaring of leopards and the acquisition of trap cameras to observe their behavior and monitor their movements.

Currently, five leopards have been fitted with radio collars. Additionally, two new rescue centers are being established in Surat and Valsad in South Gujarat, complementing the recently inaugurated centers in Pavagadh and Jambughoda. Chief Secretary Raj Kumar proposed a strategic plan for a Rehabilitation Center by the Forest Department as a long-term solution to relocate leopards to protected forest areas, minimizing interactions with human populations.

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