Tiger census in Vizag metro city!

Vishakhapatanam: The port city, the executive capital of Andhra Pradesh, will have a tiger census in the heart of the city. The survey is being conducted in Kambalakonda, the well-known wildlife sanctuary spread over 80 square kilometres, that is located between city centre and upcoming Madhurawada township, opposite the Indira Gandhi Zoological Park and adjacent to the Animal Rescue centre.

Traffic passes on the national highway between Kambalakonda and the zoo.

The wildlife park is surrounded by the thickly populated Arilova township, Health City, Sagarnagar township and Dabbanda having a population of over three lakh people. Due the lockdown, the forest cover increased with more wild animals making it their home.

Kambalakonda once had six leopards as per the earlier census and pug marks were picked up by the forest officials. There were times when the leopards strayed into the city, Kapulauppada and Rushikonda in search of food. One even entered the City Task Force police station and escaped to the forest after spending an hour there.

“I am not very sure of panthers prowling in Kambalakonda unless we complete the study of CCTV footage by January end,’’ said divisional forest officer Ananatha Sankar.

Talking to DC in Visakhapatnam on Wednesday, the DFO said the census was being conducted in all forests of the district but camera trapping was done only in Kambalakonda.

The forest has Indian spotted chevrotain or mouse deer, leopard, wild dogs, jackals, pangolin, spotted deer and sambhar deer. There are plenty of spotted deer seen moving on the roads and resting near the restaurant in the park.

He said the department has earmarked 40 grids with each grid having an area of two square kilometers. Two infra red CCTV cameras were being installed in each grid and operated for 30 nights.

In addition to camera traps, teams would study the pug marks and conduct a survey on herbivorous and carnivorous animals to study the prey base in the forest.