In the year 2018, as the 55th wildlife sanctuary, the government would have announced…
The famous wildlife sanctuary of Ghodazari in Vidarbha has been neglected for the past five days, as there have been no security guards or patrolling on the main entry route of the sanctuary day and night. Consequently, many people have entered the jungle at night to see wildlife and tigers without any check. Earlier, the wildlife committee had employed four security guards for day and night duty, and had instructed to record the details of every person coming and going, and also to collect a fee of Rs. 20 from the two-wheeler drivers and Rs. 50 from the four-wheeler drivers, but due to a disagreement within the committee, no funds were allocated and the guards have stopped working.
So, every night four forest guards used to patrol under the jurisdiction of the Forest Department. However, due to lack of funds, the Forest Department had to shut down their operations. In 2018, the government declared the Ghodazari Talav and Jungle area as a wildlife sanctuary, the 55th wildlife sanctuary. This sanctuary spans across 159.58 square kilometers.
This wildlife sanctuary is home to a large number of wild animals such as leopard, deer, sambar, nilgai, wild boar, tiger, hyena, as well as various species of birds. Additionally, there is a significant amount of forest resources available in this area. However, in recent days, due to the negligence of the forest department, some enthusiastic tourists who were eager to see tigers have taken their four-wheelers and have been roaming around the Ghodazari jungle area at night, filming videos of the tigers and sharing them on social media.
This wildlife sanctuary has a large number of animals such as deer, sambar, wild boar, nilgai, duck, tiger, leopard, as well as various rare species of birds. Additionally, there is a large forest area available in this sanctuary. In recent days, due to the neglect of this sanctuary, some enthusiastic tourists have been driving around on their vehicles with the hope of seeing a tiger. They have been recording videos of the tigers and sharing them on social media, which has led to the creation of a threat of poaching by hunters in the area.
Furthermore, as cars and motorcycles roam around freely at night, it is possible that a serious incident may occur. Without proper record-keeping of visitors, there is a risk of the sanctuary’s assets being destroyed. Moreover, a significant number of animals, including rare species, could become victims of this situation. Also, the large amount of mineral resources in the area could attract illegal mining activities. Thus, it cannot be ruled out that there could be a potential threat of poaching and illegal activities in this sanctuary.
Therefore, there is a demand to appoint security guards here from wildlife lovers as soon as possible. In the meantime, the forest officials have contacted the authorities of the thousand and asked them to ensure that there are no security guards at the main entrance.
