Elephant herd viral video: A very beautiful and relaxing video of nature and wildlife has surfaced from Udanti-Sitanadi Tiger Reserve (USTR) of Chhattisgarh. A herd of elephants along with their young cubs has been captured on camera drinking water and bathing happily in a small Jhiriya (traditional water source) located at a height of about 3000 feet from the ground in the Kulhadighat area. In this period of scorching heat, this scene shows how small efforts of humans are proving to be life-giving for the wildlife.
Varun Jain, DFO of Udanti-Sitanadi Tiger Reserve, said that meteorologists have expressed the fear of ‘Super El-Nino’ or ‘Godzilla El-Nino’ this time. Due to this, conditions of abnormal heat, drought and extreme temperatures are being created. Due to less water in the forests, wildlife often move to villages, which increases human-wildlife conflict.
To deal with this challenge, the reserve management has launched a big campaign of water conservation within the forests. Under this, more than 800 holes, the traditional source of underground water (sub-surface flow) obtained by digging sandy layers, have been constructed. Along with this, 34 solar pumps have also been installed to ensure water for the wildlife throughout the year.
7 hunters from Odisha who came to mix poison in Jhiriya arrested
Along with wildlife, hunters also keep an eye on these life-giving water sources. USTR team averted a major disaster during patrol. The team caught red-handed 7 poachers from Katphad, Kusumkhunta and Khiprimal villages of Odisha, who were planning to put poisonous substance in these holes. If the hunters had succeeded in their plot, there could have been mass death of elephants, tigers and other herbivorous-carnivorous animals coming to drink water.
Protection of 100 villages and conservation of wildlife
The biggest feature of Udanti-Sitanadi Tiger Reserve is that about 100 villages are settled in and around it. In such a situation, it is very important to provide water and fodder to the animals inside the forest itself so that they do not come to the populated areas. For this, the department is monitoring the movement of elephants through satellite, field staff and modern technology and the early warning system has been strengthened to alert the villagers. Officials say that in this summer season, every hole filled with water is not just a water source but is the lifeline of these voiceless people.
(Report- Suraj Sahu, Dhamtari)
Leave a Reply