Chandigarh to conduct its first-ever wildlife census

CHANDIGARH - This union territory, one of the greenest cities of India, has now turned its attention on its fauna as the first-ever census of wildlife here will begin Thursday.

The Chandigarh forest department will conduct the first wildlife census at Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary, which is spread over an area of 25.42 sq km, in the catchment area of the Sukhna Lake. It will be a three-day process.

“We have divided the Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary in 10 equal transects. A team of at least 10 members will conduct the wildlife census, counting birds and animals in each transect,” Santosh Kumar, Chandigarh’s chief wildlife warden and conservator of forests, told IANS.

“In a bid to bring transparency in this exercise, we have roped in leading environmentalists, representatives from various NGOs and the Panjab University’s biology and zoology departments in this census,” Kumar said.

“Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun, which is the nodal agency for wildlife management in India, will lead the operations,” he added.

A variety of butterflies, birds and animals like wild boar, pangolin, mongoose, deer, Indian civet, peacocks, Red Jungle Fowl and snakes like the Indian python and Russell’s viper are seen in this sanctuary.

Besides, there are 193 water bodies in the Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary. Their basic purpose is to desilt and continuously feed the Sukhna Lake and support wildlife and migratory birds that flock to this sanctuary.

This is extraordinary not only in India but in the whole of Asia as such density of water bodies is found nowhere.

“So far, nobody knows the actual number of animals and birds in this sanctuary. We cannot rely on hearsay if we have to formulate any future strategy. This census will give us a baseline from where we can make an effort to increase the wildlife numbers here,” Kumar said.

He said the census operation will include the compilation of both direct and indirect evidence.

“Direct evidence include where we spot the animals and birds but indirect evidence means where we get proofs like foot-prints and animal excreta that authenticate the presence of animals,” Kumar pointed out.

Talking about the compilation of census report, Kumar stated: “We will send all the collected data and evidence to WII. They will evaluate it before releasing the final report. They are the authority to accept or reject anything, and I think that they will take at least two-three months to release the census report.”

Rohit Ruhella, a city-based wildlife expert, said: “We appreciate this move of the administration. We hope that now onwards the wildlife census will be done after every two or three years.”

Chandigarh, the joint capital of Punjab and Haryana, is the only planned city in independent India.

It was designed by legendary French architect Le Corbusier for a population of 500,000, but now the city accommodates over 1.1 million people and a floating population of over 100,000 a day. Its green cover is 38.8 percent of its geographical area - maximum in the country.