Kendrapada: With mercury crossing 40°C and water holes and ponds drying up, Bhitarkanika National Park authorities have made special arrangements to provide water to wild animals.“We are filling up artificial water tanks in the forest to provide drinking water to animals. We renovated 45 ponds and installed 70 cement water tanks,” said assistant conservator of forest Manas Kumar Das.Bhitarkanika is home to spotted deer, wild boars, water monitors, king cobras, saltwater crocodiles, fishing cats and other animals. “Animals like spotted deer stray into nearby villages in the summer to quench their thirst. Villagers have been asked to be alert to wildlife movement,” he added.“Snakes that cannot control their body temperature become agitated when the mercury rises abnormally. This is the main reason behind the sudden spurt in snakebite cases in the villages around forests in summer as snakes come out from their holes and move towards villages,” added the forest officer.Poachers also target straying animals in summer for which we are on high alert to prevent poaching. Forest guards have been directed to conduct regular patrolling in the villages around forest areas and keep a close watch on habitual poachers who place snares, wires and traps to kill spotted deer and wild boars, added the officer.Special care is being taken by the forest officials to protect the penned estuarine crocodiles, including an albino crocodile ‘Gori’ as water in the small ponds where the reptiles are kept is drying up. Around 50 crocodile hatchlings in the breeding and research center at Dangamala are also being taken care by the forest authorities as they are susceptible to the heat, he said.To prevent destruction of forests and wildlife in the forest fires, the forest department has set up fire lines around the park. The fire lines will help in controlling any accidental forest fire, added the forest officer.“We have installed fire extinguishers in boats and provided fire extinguishers to forest guards to check any accident. To check fire in the forest, the department has also banned cooking inside park areas by the tourists and the forest guards and watchers have been instructed to keep an eye on forest areas and inform fire brigade and forest officials at Rajnagar immediately after fire in the forest,” said the forest official.
