NASHIK :
The Nashik Forest department ha announced to lead the fight of Human-Leopard conflict from the other front of awareness too. The Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (APCCF), West Maharashtra, Sunil Limaye also visited Nashik and announced that a leopard awareness campaign will be started soon.
It was decided that the successful awareness campaign of Junnar will be replicated in Nashik. But the campaign is seem to be delayed. The Darna river Basin in Nashik district is facing a issue of Human-Leopard conflict. In last four months the region witnessed eight leopard attacks in which four lives were lost.
After that an intensive drive to trap leopard was initiated after July 4 and in just a month Nine leopard, including six leopard from Nashik range and three from Sinnar range were trapped. The awareness programme is currently need of the hour Accordingly, a team of experts from an NGO recently visited Nashik for inspection of the Darna River Basin.
The APCCF Limaye also informed Deshdoot Times that the awareness campaign based on Junnar Pattern will be started from August 1. He has also discussed about the same with the Nashik district collector. The campaign has not been started yet by the forest department. Forest officials have informed that the preparation for the project are underway.
The campaign proposal has been sent to senior officials. After their approval the campaign will start. Team of experts will arrive in Nashik and will start the awareness campaign with help of school children’s.On the other hand, the leopard trapping is continuously going on in the Darna Valley.
This has created issue of space in the Sanjay Gandhi National Park as the leopards are sent their till the reports of their saliva and DNA test prove their innocence. The fear and anger of people is now resulting in struggle for the animals.
Leopard presence in Rahuri
On Sunday, a leopard was spotted in the farms of Rahuri village by the villagers in afternoon. The farmers spotted the leopard roaming in the field. As the presence of leopards is being felt frequently in the fields, the tension among the farmers is rising.
The forest department has managed to catch about 9 leopards in Darna river basin so far. A Leopard was spotted on Sunday, in farm of Santosh Ramdas Sanap of Bhagur’s Rahuri village near Darna river.
At the same place, the forest department has also set up cages as informed by Forest Range Officer Vivek Bhadane, Forest Divisional Officer Madhukar Gosavi and Forest Ranger Vijay Patil.
“We have forwarded the proposal to the senior officials. We are very positive and will start the awareness programme very soon. Once the proposal is approved we will lead from the other front of awareness.”
Shivaji Phule, Deputy Conservator of Forest, Nashik West
