Walls to be erected in villages adjoining forests in U'khand

To minimise frequency of man-animal conflicts, animal protection walls will be erected in villages adjoining forests in Uttarakhand, Chief Minister Harish Rawat said.
Concerned over frequent incidents of leopards straying into residential areas close to forests and causing loss of life and property, Rawat asked officials concerned to raise 150 metre animal protection walls in villages adjacent to forests to reduce man-animal conflicts, an official release here said.
Rawat also suggested large-scale plantation of fruit and fodder bearing trees in the forests enclosed by such protection fences to stop wild animals from foraging for food in areas inhabited by humans.

Fruit bearing, fibre and fodder rich trees should be planted besides developing bamboo groves in areas enclosed by the protective walls to prevent animals from making forays into adjacent human settlements in search of food, Rawat said at a meeting held with senior officials here yesterday to review steps being taken to maintain Himalayan ecology and conserve its rich bio-diversity.
A leopard had got stuck in a clutch wire fence close to a field in Thano range on the outskirts of Dehradun on Wednesday apparently while trying to cross it in search of food.
Forest department personnel had a tough time rescuing the big cat after tranquilising it and releasing it back into the wild.