Water crisis forces forest officials to set up artificial ponds

Haridwar (Uttarakhand), May 4 (ANI): Authorities in Uttarakhand”s Rajaji National Park have created artificial lakes and ponds to make water available to animals during the scorching summer.

The shortage of water is so severe that the national park”s water bodies have dried up, and some animals have died.

According to M S Negi, Range Officer of Rajaji National Park, acute water shortage is posing a serious threat to animals, as they have to walk long distances for it.

“Less rainfall during the monsoon and no rainfall during the winters have caused this shortage of water. Water sources are on the verge of drying. Due to this, there is a huge problem of water for the animals and if there is no rainfall in the next few weeks then it will be a big problem for them,” said Negi.

“We have made arrangements (for the animals). We have dug ponds with JCP machines and made water available for the animals, so that they don”t have to go out of the forest,” he added.

The Rajaji National Park is spread over an area of 820 square kilometers and is home to 23 species of mammals and 315 species of birds, which include Asian elephants, tiger, king cobra, panther, Bear, Chital, Sambar, Wild Boar, Kakar, Python, Monitor Lizard, Wild Cats and many more. (ANI)

Sariska tiger reserve facing acute water shortage

Alwar (Rajasthan), Mar 26 (ANI): The Sariska Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan is faced with acute water shortage due to prevailing heat wave conditions, forcing officials to create artificial water holes.

“Temperature in Sariska is hovering around 35-40 degree Celsius. There is scarcity of water and animals prefer to stay close to the limited water holes,” said Sunder, a forest official.

The officials have set up pumps and boosters to suck in water from the nearby water holes to make it available in the interiors and the upper ranges of the national park.

“There is no water within 30-40 kilometres from this area. We are putting a new pipeline to make available water here,” said Vidhyadhar, a ranger at the tiger reserve.

The Sariska Tiger Reserve, which is located in Alwar district, is one of the famous national parks of the country and is home to the Bengal tiger, leopard, jungle cat, caracal, striped hyena, golden jackal, chital, sambhar, nilgai, chinkara, four-horned antelope or ”chousingha”, wild boar, hare, hanuman langur, and plenty of bird species and reptiles. (ANI)

Rescue workers pluck wild boar from river Danube in Budapest

Budapest – Rescue workers plucked a wild boar from the river Danube on Wednesday after it jumped in during an unusual morning stroll through the centre of the Hungarian capital.

Five men had to wrestle with the 80-kilogramme animal after it was lassoed and hauled from the fast-flowing waters by river police, Budapest fire brigade spokesman Peter Molnar told the news broadcaster Inforadio.

Commuters reported the unlikely tourist after spotting the hairy porker trotting along the Danube embankment before taking the plunge near the Chain Bridge, one of Budapest’s main tourist attractions.

Wild boar are common in Hungarian forests, but rarely venture into cities. They have dangerous tusks, but generally only attack humans in panic when trapped.

Budapest police were criticised in 2001 for opening fire on a similarly stricken boar as it attempted to scramble out of the river.

This time, the stray boar will be taken to a wildlife park on the edge of the city, the local news agency MTI reported.(dpa)

Control of Hong Kong boar population urged after man savaged

Hong Kong – A 77-year-old Hong Kong man was savaged by a wild boar that pinned him to the ground and bit his groin, police said Wednesday.

The 70-kilogram animal went on a rampage, knocking the man down and sinking its teeth into him, after it strayed into a village in Hong Kong’s New Territories.

Witnesses said the boar attacked Tuesday after it jumped a fence and charged at the man who was playing cards with friends outside.

The animal then ran off. The man was taken to hospital bleeding and was in stable condition Wednesday.

The attack is the latest in a series involving wild boars, which have lead to calls on the government to control the population, which is believed to have grown in recent years in Hong Kong’s rural areas, which cover more than 70 per cent of the territory’s 1,078 square kilometres.

Wild boars are common in rural parts of Hong Kong near its border with mainland China but are rarely seen in built-up urban parts of the city. But in February, police shot dead a wild boar when it strayed into a high-rise housing estate in the city’s built-up Tuen Mun district.

In September, a 120-kilogram boar was also shot dead by police after it fought with pet dogs and bit two residents in a rural village near the Hong Kong-China border. (dpa)