# Dudhwa buffer zone has half its sanctioned forest guards 2026-08-07T05:55:50+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet Dudhwa Tiger Reserve’s buffer zone has 27 forest guards against 52 sanctioned posts, as wildlife conflict continues across its nine ranges. Hindustan Times reports 72 people have died and 180 have been injured in animal attacks since 2021-22, with leopards linked to most incidents. The current financial year has recorded seven deaths and 18 injuries. Crocodile attacks have caused 11 deaths and 29 injuries during the period. The nearly 70,000-hectare buffer zone also has vacancies among foresters and senior field officers. Staff are prioritising emergency responses and animal tracking, leaving routine work such as social forestry and anti-logging operations short-handed. Officials say recruitment is under way. Since 2021-22, teams have rescued 10 tigers and 38 leopards. ## Coverage - hindustantimes.com Tags: Dudhwa, forest guards, Human-wildlife conflict, leopards, wildlife management Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/dudhwa-buffer-zone-has-half-its-sanctioned-forest-guards/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/dudhwa-buffer-zone-has-half-its-sanctioned-forest-guards/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.