Coronavirus: Wildlife Dept arrange food for animals inside 'birs'

Aman Sood
Tribune News Service
Patiala, April 25

The Covid-19 pandemic has not only been harsh on humans, but also wild animals in “birs” (forest protected land) of the state, experts said.

The reason behind it that people have stopped feeding animals near the fencing of “birs” ever since the lockdown was clamped.

To ensure that animals such as blue bull, black buck, wild boar, rhesus macaques, python, pangolin, barking deer, red jungle fowl, kalij pheasant, porcupine, hedge hog and sambar don’t go hungry, the Wildlife Department has said it would arrange food for them inside “birs”.

The department was also worried and that is the spread of the virus among animals as a few people are still seen feeding animals near the fencing of the “birs”.

A Covid-positive person can be a threat to the wildlife inside the “birs”, it said.

The state has declared 35,040.20 hectares across the state as protected area.

This includes 12 “birs”.

To stop human activity around the “birs”, the department has said it would conduct round-the-clock patrolling.

“I have directed the Divisional Forest Officers (DFOs) to ensure no human activity around 12 ‘birs’ of the state,” said Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) Kuldip Kumar.

Less human activity has meant that monkeys have started venturing out of the “birs” in search for food.

“As not many people are coming out to feed them, monkeys can be seen venturing out of the ‘birs’, posing a threat to villagers and even city residents.

As ‘bir’ areas are fenced, animals are starving inside due to the lack of natural feed for them,” said wildlife expert Jaskaran Sandhu, who is also a member of the Punjab Wildlife Protection Board.