7 months ago
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One big Indian one-horned rhinoceros has been recovered dormant successful the Dooars portion of bluish West Bengal pursuing dense rainfall, terrible floods, and landslides successful the area, Parveen Kaswan, Divisional Forest Officer, Jaldapara Wildlife Division, told The Hindu connected Monday (October 6, 2025).
“The decease occurred successful Gorumara National Park. In Jaldapara, however, six rhinoceroses strayed extracurricular the nationalist park. Two of them person been guided back, portion 4 of them are bushed from their travels. We are giving them clip to travel back. Around 70 to 80 unit are monitoring their movements intimately to guarantee their return,” Mr. Kaswan said.
A leopard had been spotted successful the h2o connected Sunday but was present successful harmless territory, and the Forest Department was keeping a adjacent oculus connected the movements of each animals, some manually and with drones, to guarantee strays returned wrong the parkland limits, helium added.
“Jaldapara was severely affected due to the fact that large flooding occurred successful the Torsa river, which flows done the nationalist park. It is the lifeline of Jaldapara, and of the ample colonisation of rhinoceroses that inhabits it. While large damages person been caused to parkland infrastructure similar bridges and fencing, we person not seen immoderate large wildlife nonaccomplishment yet,” Mr. Kaswan said.
The flood-hit Dooars portion successful West Bengal astatine the foothills of the Eastern Himalayas houses the Gorumara National Park and Jaldapara National Park, which are fashionable tourer destinations known for biodiversity and wildlife. State Forest Minister Birbaha Hansda, on with elder Forest Department officials, visited the flood-affected regions connected Monday to measure the standard of harm to humans, forests, and wildlife alike.
“From what I saw successful my tract sojourn today, determination is nary large-scale wildlife loss. Now that h2o is receding from astir places, and our unit volition beryllium capable to participate the much interior parts of the forests and nationalist parks, we volition beryllium capable to measure the concern better,” Ms. Hansda told The Hindu.
However, section wildlife conservation activists claimed that the carcasses of respective animals had been recovered crossed Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar districts since Monday morning, a time aft unprecedentedly precocious rainfall lashed the portion and triggered floods starring to the decease of astatine slightest 24 people.
According to wildlife activistic Swarup Mitra, a fig of spotted deer, sambar deer, barking deer, and Indian gaurs had been recovered dead, particularly successful Jalpaiguri’s Gorumara National Park and Alipurduar’s Jaldapara National Park regions.
“We person been recovering carcasses of animals similar cervid and Indian gaurs since the floods deed precocious connected Saturday morning. The standard of wildlife deaths is becoming clearer arsenic the h2o is receding. These carcasses are being recovered crossed areas specified arsenic Jaldhaka, Nagrakata, Ramsai, and Moynaguri,” Mr. Mitra said.
While an nonstop number was yet to beryllium ascertained, truthful far, 1 rhinoceros, 3 Indian gaur, and 1 sambar cervid are feared to person died, helium said. A section colony household successful Jalpaiguri, whose location had collapsed successful the flood, tried to rescue a struggling deer, but it yet died, helium added.
“In Ramsai, 4 Indian gaurs were sighted. Unfortunately, 3 of them died successful the floods. One could beryllium rescued by wood officials. Three sambar cervid were besides recovered, of whom 1 died. Even snake eggs and peacock eggs are being feared to person been destroyed,” Mr. Mitra said.
This was a tentative count, Mr. Mitra said, which did not see the tiny animals that lived wrong the forests and could not climb, and a ample fig of them were besides apt to person succumbed to the terrible floods.
“When the h2o recedes, the mud successful these areas volition remain. In the adjacent fewer days, we mightiness find galore carcasses stuck and already decomposing,” Mr. Mitra said.
“Because of the floods, a babe elephant had been separated from the herd successful Mechi, portion 2 abstracted herds of elephants reportedly got stranded successful the Ramsai and Odlabari areas,” Avijan Saha, wildlife activistic and coordinator astatine the wildlife conservation organisation Oirabot, said. Forest officials successfully conducted rescue operations successful each three, helium said.
“The contented present is that some Gorumara National Park and Jaldapara National Park person rivers flowing done them. When the rivers started flooding, immoderate of the chaotic animals died, portion galore animals strayed [away] from the forest. The fig of chaotic animals mislaid and dormant volition summation successful the adjacent fewer days, erstwhile we volition beryllium capable to scope the much interior parts of the forests,” Mr. Saha said.
