Rain continues to take toll on blackbucks in Baran

JODHPUR: Blackbucks in Baran continue to bear the fury of the heavy rains that lashed the district for three days. Many have died on account of being washed away in the flood waters and many are stuck amidst the rain water at different places. About 30 carcasses have already been buried by the forest officials and many are still scattered.

Official sources have put the toll at 70 in Baran but sources and villagers have put the toll much higher. According to them, many carcasses are still scattered in the areas like Chhabra, Chhipabarod, Mangrol, Baran, Atru and Anta areas and many of them are alive but forest officials have yet not been able to trace them.

DFO (Baran) P K Gupta said we have taken a number of measures to check the death of blackbucks but heavy rains have caught us off guard. "We have opened a control room in district headquarters and mobilized three rescue centres and three rescue teams," he said. Gupta said recently the population of the blackbucks had increased in the region and they were seen across the state. "But due to heavy rain, many got drowned and many fell prey to stray dogs", Gupta said. Besides, we have also given instructions to all forest rangers to keep a close watch in their respective ranges regarding the movement of blackbucks.

On the other hand, the toll remained static at 13 in Kota. DFO Kota N Vijay said our teams are in the fields keeping watch on the blackbucks in the forest ranges of Ladpura and Kanwas and expect one blackbuck, which got hit by a vehicle on the highway, no casualty has been reported so far.

He said as the rain has ceased now, the soil has started getting hard again making it easy for the blackbucks to move around.