By Arun Pratap Singh
Ramnagar, 26 Dec: Tourists have started arriving at the Jim Corbett National Park for the New Year celebrations. Along with this, the Corbett administration has also issued an alert for the protection of wildlife and to prevent any possible poaching of wildlife or flora. Bhanu Prakash Harbola, Range Officer, Corbett National Park has confirmed this.
Due to the alert having been sounded as usual around this time every year, the leaves of forest workers have also been cancelled. The southern border of Corbett Tiger Reserve Park is being continuously monitored through e-surveillance system to increase security. Besides, patrolling by forest personnel has also been increased.
A joint team of the department is also reported to be continuously carrying out flag marches in Corbett Park and its adjoining forest areas. For the safety of forests and wildlife, leaves of forest personnel have also been cancelled. Besides, the southern border of Corbett Park which shares its border with UP is being monitored by e-surveillance system and forest workers riding on elephants. Apart from this, foot patrolling has also been increased.
It may be recalled that during the new year celebrations inside the park, the possibility of poachers and many notorious gangs entering from other areas including the highly sensitive southern region remains high. In such a situation, the Corbett administration has issued a red alert. The areas are being patrolled through elephant and dog squads. The department as usual has to be concerned that amidst the festive atmosphere, hunters or smugglers may enter the forests.
So far, there is no intelligence input received but the department has undertaken extra vigilance. The Park administration has claimed that monitoring is also being done with the help of drone cameras. Besides, care is also being taken to ensure that tourists do not face any problem and at the same time to ensure that wildlife also does not get disturbed because of tourists.
There has been always a threat of poachers and several notorious gangs entering the Corbett landscape during the New Year celebrations. The reason behind is the heavy presence of the tourists during this time of the year in the park. The poachers usually hunt wildlife by using traps and noose and, in the past, especially in Bijrani, Jhirna and Kalagarh areas of Corbett Tiger Reserve, there has been a high possibility of infiltration, for which a red alert has been declared.
