Story/place-Chandigarh.
CHANDIGARH: After finding pugmarks of leopards in Sukhna wildlife sanctuary, UT forest and wildlife department has issued an advisory, asking city residents venturing into the area not to get down from their vehicles.
Making noise in the sanctuary and playing of loud music has also been banned not to disturb the wild animals. It is also been advised that children should not be left alone and vehicles be stopped only at the identified locations.
The first-ever wildlife census, conducted with expertise being provided by Dehradun-based Wildlife Institute of India (WII) in the ecologically fragile area spread over 26 square kilometres, had given indications of presence of at least three leopards in close vicinity of Chandigarh.
The department has already decided to put up camera traps at 4-5 places to catch the leopards on camera before the entire report is sent to the WWI headquarters for approval.
The census will now be made a regular feature from now on to keep track of any increase or decrease in population of various rare species that are housed there, particularly mammals like sanbhar, cheetal and many reptiles like cobra, rat snake and common krait. Located north east of Sukhna Lake, the sanctuary land was acquired in 1962 for soil conservation measures as huge amounts of silt had eaten into 50 per cent of the lake's original area by then. The lower Shivaliks are very fragile and prone to erosion. Most of the area was then under some sort of cultivation while trees were being felled for fuel.
source-timesofindia.indiatimes.com
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