Bantala: A sambhar breeding centre will soon come up at Raiguda inside Satkosia reserve forest near here in Angul district to make food available for the tigers in Satkosia Tiger Reserve Project, a report said.
This has come as good news for the tiger project as the project officials find it difficult to arrange food for the tigers due to a sharp drop in sambhar population inside the tiger project
The sambhar breeding centre will be established as carnivorous animals like tigers prefer to prey more on sambhars than any other herbivorous animals.
The centre is established with an aim to increase the fast reducing sambhar population as well as to arrange food for the tiger population and restore the food chain inside the sanctuary, forest officials said.
However, the breeding centre will be established at Raiguda once a new enclosure over 25 hectares for the Royal Bengal Tigress Sundari gets completed, the forest officials said.
According to a joint report issued by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and Wildlife Institute of India (WII), there are 25 herbivorus animals in per sq km of area inside the tiger project. According to 2017 census, there were 24,096 herbivorous animals inside the tiger project.
These herbivorous animals are sambhar, Indian Bison, deer, spotted deer, barking deer, monkeys and mouse deer.
However, the sambhar population is less than eight per sqkm of area inside the tiger project. A government report says that the sambhar population is reducing in Athamallik, Angul, Dhenkanal, Boudh, Athagarh, and Nayagarh forest divisions which are on the fringes of the Satkosia Tiger Reserve Project.
The drop in sambhar population is attributed to rampant poaching by locals as well by outside poachers in and around the sanctuary.
This apart, water scarcity in the jungle during summer, diseases and failure in timely delivery by female sambhars has also resulted in a drop of their population. This is affecting the bio-diversity of the Satkosia sanctuary and disturbing the food chain
This has worried the government for which it is laying stress on establishment of a sambhar breeding centre to help increase the tiger population inside the sanctuary and ensure easy availability of food for the tigers, animal lovers said.
When contacted, Pradeep Raj Karate, Field Director, Satkosia Tiger Reserve Project and regional chief conservator of forest (RCCF) admitted to the development and a drop in sambhar population inside the sanctuary.
He said that a sambhar breeding centre will be established once the work on an enclosure for Sundari gets completed.
PNN