Forests & Climate: Dudhwa to get own elephant reserve

LUCKNOW, (PTI): Dudhwa would soon have its own dedicated elephant reserve named as Terai Elephant Reserve (TER).

This would be the second elephant reserve in Uttar Pradesh (UP) after the Shivalik Elephant Reserve, which is jointly shared by UP and Uttarakhand.

”The union environment and forest ministry has given an in principle nod to the formation of Terai Elephant Reserve in Dudhwa,” national in-charge of Project Elephant in the union ministry of environment, forests and climate change Ramesh Pandey told PTI.

”A letter has recently been sent to UP government for a formal proposal regarding formation of TER,” said the Inspector General of forests.

”The proposed Terai Elephant Reserve in Dudhwa would comprise Pilibhit Tiger Reserve (800 sq kms), Dudhwa National Park (680 sq km), Kishanpur wildlife sanctuary (204 sq km), Katarniaghat wildlife sanctuary (440 sq km area), and parts of north and south Kheri forest divisions,” he said.

Sanjay Kumar Pathak, field director, Dudhwa Tiger Reserve (DTR) told PTI that the reserve will help in conservation of elephants. ”Besides, it will lead to adept handling of man-elephant conflicts in Terai regions of Kheri, Bahraich and Pilibhit districts,” he said. He said that TER will also prove to be a major tourist attraction in DTR, which with Project Tiger and Project Rhino, will conserve the three iconic wild animals of Dudhwa.

Pandey, who had earlier served as DTR field director, said, ”establishment of Terai Elephant Reserve in Dudhwa was necessitated due to growing numbers and resident nature of migratory wild elephants, whose population has reached over 150.” He said these wild elephants earlier migrated to Dudhwa from adjoining Nepal forests through Khata-Katarniaghat-Manjhra-Belrayan-Dudhwa, Basanta-Dudhwa, Laljhadi-Sathiyana (Dudhwa), Shuklafanta-Dhaka-Pilibhit-north, Kheri-Kishanpur, and several other forest corridors, and would return to their place after a brief visit here.

But for the past several years it has been witnessed that these visiting elephants have been choosing to stay for a longer time here and become resident animals of Dudhwa.

It has posed several challenges, he said. (PTI)