Chandigarh Forest Dept to conduct wildlife census from today

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 4

The UT Forest Department has decided to carry out the second wildlife census in the Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary from tomorrow.

Debendra Dalai, Chief Conservator of Forest and Chief Wildlife Warden, UT, said it would take five days to prepare an inventory of wild animals in the sanctuary.

The Dehradun-based Wildlife Institute of India (WII) had agreed to provide technical support to the department in this regard.

The first wildlife census was carried out in the Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary, spread over an area of 26 sq km in the catchment area of the Sukhna Lake, in 2010.

As per the first census report prepared by the WII, the population of sambar in the sanctuary was between 1,000 and 1,200 and peafowl population was between 900 and 1,100. However, leopards were not spotted directly, but their foot marks were found.

The main animals spotted in the sanctuary include sambar, chital, pangolin (anteater), wild boar, jackal, small Indian civet, jungle cat, porcupine, Hanuman langur, rhesus monkey, Indian hare, common mongoose and three- striped palm squirrel.