Now Reading: Dudhwa buffer zone has half its sanctioned forest guards
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Dudhwa buffer zone has half its sanctioned forest guards
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…
The Story in Brief
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.
The Indian Opinion
The lazy narrative is that conflict will fall simply through more rescues, while the opposite claim blames villagers or wildlife alone. Neither fits the record. A force operating with 27 of 52 guards cannot reliably patrol, prevent illegal felling and respond to emergencies at once. Recruitment must be judged by deployment in the four worst-affected ranges, not announcements. Will the department fill all 25 guard vacancies and publish a timeline?
Source: hindustantimes.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
