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How many wildlife species are there in the capital? Census on the way

According to forest officials, there are many species of reptiles, striped hyenas, jackals, foxes, nilgais, hares and antelopes, among others

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The Asola Bhatti sanctuary.
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The capital is set to have its first wildlife census since the Delhi government notified the lands of Asola Bhatti area as a wildlife sanctuary in 1991. The Delhi government's department of forests and wildlife is getting ready for the census to be conducted in October.

According to forest officials, there are many species of reptiles, striped hyenas, jackals, foxes, nilgais, hares and antelopes, among others.

"The variety of striped hyena in the area is rare. We need to document the wildlife in order to know the actual numbers and to find out the possibilities of having bigger carnivores like leopards," said AK Shukla, Chief Wildlife Warden.

The forest department has formed a team of 30 forest guards, who are undergoing training. "In addition, we are also trying to get experts from the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun. The entire exercise is expected to take about four months. We will install high-definition camera traps and set up pug mark pads to determine the wildlife population," said Shukla.

The sanctuary is spread over 5,000 acres over the southern ridge of the city. According to wildlife experts, at present, there are some grasslands here and a large number of monkeys, as all those caught from the city are translocated to the sanctuary. Since the sanctuary is close to human habitation, wild animals which cross over from Haryana get caught in the urban milieu.
For instance, a leopard which was sighted in November last year strayed into the urban area near Faridabad and ended up being beaten up by scared villagers.


"Conducting a census is a welcome step in order to know which way to proceed in terms of habitat improvement. The sanctuary area is good but has a few grasslands, which need to be developed well in order to sustain the wildlife. There are not many high herbivores, let alone big cats, as they cannot find their prey," said Professor CR Babu, head of Centre for Environmental Management of Degraded Ecosystems.

He further said that the number of translocated monkeys is on the higher side while there are no predators for them. Even these monkeys are fed on purchased food and cannot find their natural food.

"There is a major need for habitat improvement, in which the census can certainly help," added Babu.

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