Debrigarh Scales Up Community Participation For Tiger Protection

In order to raise awareness and sensitise people about the conversation of tigers, authorities are running movies on Tigers in all periphery villages of Debrigarh Sanctuary.

Women who are mostly dependent on wildlife habitats for Firewood, Bamboo, Water etc and children are giving 100% attendance in the Cinema time beside males of the different working classes.

The objectives are to inform the common man that Tigers are not harmful for humans and also to motivate the young generation for conservation of tigers. Posters on the benefits that Tigers can bring to a landscape are also displayed in all periphery villages.

“Debrigarh 48” is formed by combining 48 villages adjoining Debrigarh Sanctuary for providing protection to the Sanctuary, and compatible wildlife-friendly activities in the periphery landscape &most important intelligence gathering is the objective behind forming Debrigarh 48.

A 2-Tier protection mechanism is followed at the outskirt of Debrigarh for enforcement. One-tier patrols the villages and the other tier guard the border of Sanctuary. 8 teams are enrolled in this 2 tier fencing team. 24×7 day night patrol is under progress.

Encircling the Sanctuary “Shock Free Zone” is being created by constructing cattle proof & elephant trench as a standoff barrier between Sanctuary and villages. The trench will obstruct the straying of wild animals to villages and crop fields and thereby prevent the electrocution of herbivores and carnivores. Due to these interventions, no chaos or fear is there among the periphery villagers of Debrigarh.

More than 100 CT are guarding the tiger inside the Sanctuary day and night. The Tiger monitoring team is on job 24/7 for monitoring the movement and activities of the Big Cat.

Anshu Pragyan Das, DFO of Hirakud Wildlife Division said: “Illegal hooking and traps for poaching are the main risks which we are trying to curb completely by strategic patrolling and monitoring. Intelligence networking is also strengthened multifold and we have declared Rs 1000/- cash reward for every information on poaching/ traps/ illegal hooking inside or outside the sanctuary.”

“Hundreds of posters have been displayed in all public and common places on reward amount in periphery villages and also posters, and movie shows on benefits of Tiger is ongoing daily. We have deployed separate teams for day and night, 8 teams for daytime and 12 teams for night. Vulnerable areas and the Movement of the tiger is also under surveillance 24/7. 44 protection Camps are operational in this process, he added.