Berhampur: The forest department of Ganjam has set a new precedent for conservation of blackbucks by adopting a smart and sustainable method of agriculture.
The department has started farming a variety of pulses to feed the endangered animal staying in the Aska forest range near Bhetanai village so that the wild herbivores do not venture into human settlements and cause man-animal conflict.
Located around 190 km from Bhubaneswar and 50 km from Berhampur, Bhetanai is famous for blackbucks. It is said that the village has the highest concentration of the animal in India.
For locals and thousands of tourists who love visiting the place, the captivating sight of the enchanting fawns leaping around the fields is a vision to behold. The residents of the area also never really mean any harm to the animals, but the crop loss due to the straying of these innocent mammals has been becoming a concern for all.
In order to deal with the situation, the forest department took upon themselves to safeguard the blackbucks and the crops simultaneously by reserving a large patch of grassland for growing pulses like Green Gram, Bengal Gram and Ragi among others.
The development of the grassland has helped provide ample space to the blackbucks for grazing which in turn has effectively solved the issues of farm crop loss.
The move by the administration has also proved to be a boon for the tourists who usually throng to this part of the state to get a glimpse of the nature's magnificence. The Forest Department has erected a watchtower for tourists to climb atop and watch the animals.
Enamoured by the black beauties, Chitrasen Mohapatra, a tourist said, "I had heard about the deer here. But today I got a chance to see them for real. The watchtower built by the forest department helped us a lot to watch without disturbing them."
Praising the forest department for their initiative, a local of nearby Badagarh village said, "Earlier, a lot of deer used to lose their lives while crossing road. Thanks to the forest department whose noble venture has helped safeguard their lives."
Sources said that there are approximately 1600 blackbucks who rule the grasslands located on the foothills of the Eastern Ghats.
The Blackbucks are considered as the second fastest animal on earth after the Cheetah. They are scheduled under endangered species and are protected under the wildlife protection act of 1972.
Speaking on the success story in stepping up the conservation efforts for the animals, Prasanna Kumar Sahu, the Ranger of Aska Forest Range said "The public demand was to save the blackbucks and also ensure protection of their crops. We stepped up to their expectations and solved both the issues."
It is worthwhile to mention here that a lot of these blackbucks were swept away in floodwaters of Kharkhari river in the district in 2018 sparking severe criticism from people all across particularly wildlife enthusiasts.
(Edited By Suryakant Jena)