Valmikinagar, Bihar, 29^th December, 2021:

Valmiki Tiger Reserve, with its strategic location and close proximity to the international border of Nepal, is the only tiger reserve in the state of Bihar. Spanning a total area of 899.38 sq. km., the Tiger Reserve has a recorded population of 33 tigers, according to the census conducted in 2018. This makes the reserve a critical tiger habitat, while also supporting forest ecosystems that are home to, many endangered species like leopards, sloth bear, fishing cat, Himalayan serow, Yellow throated marten, hog deer and spotted deer, among many others!

Earlier last week, the importance of the Reserve was reinforced when the dignitaries from Bihar cabinet, led by the Hon’ble Chief Minister, Sh. Nitish Kumar, were invited to visit the Tiger Reserve for an event. The event was organized by the Bihar Forest Department, with the aim of highlighting the important work done by the Department for wildlife conservation and crime prevention within the Reserve. The main objective of the CM’s visit was to carefully peruse the developments in the region and take stock of the activities concerning wildlife conservation.

There were various stalls at the event, and Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) had also participated with enthusiasm, having worked in the region for over a decade under various projects. WTI was represented by Mr. Sheikh Marifatul Haq, who spoke in great detail with the Chief Minister and cabinet members about the work that our organization actively undertakes. The event also witnessed the participation of the Minister of Environment and Forests, Sh. Niraj Kumar Singh and a few other state forest officials, who visited the stalls to learn more about the activities on the ground.

We were honoured to have the Hon’ble Chief Minister release the poster on snares and raise awareness about how these rudimentary methods of hunting are death traps for wildlife. Snares have been increasingly used by poachers as a convenient way of trapping and hunting wild animals. Many farmers opt for using snares as a way of deterring the entry of wild animals to their farms in order to protect their crops.

Our team, stationed at the Valmiki Tiger Reserve, works closely with the Department to assist them in conducting anti-snare walks along the forest fringes and farmland boundaries. These snares are detected and deactivated, accordingly, to ensure that wild animals remain free and safe. So far, the team has identified almost 40 volunteers in Valmiki who are now being oriented on the basics of conservation and field exposure to identify snares and dismantle them if they come across any.

In addition to this, the Hon’ble Chief Minister was also presented with a coffee table book Gandak: Myth, Culture & Biodiversity prepared by WTI and Bihar Forest Department. The book documents WTI’s conservation work on the Gandak with the support of the Department of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Government of Bihar, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India. Our dedicated team works at the Gandak river to conserve the critically-endangered Gharial by identifying their nests and ensuring that the eggs as well as the hatchlings remain safe.

Like all other projects, even the Gharial conservation project prioritises the involvement of communities in the conservation of the species. There are specially-trained community watchers who keep a close eye on the nests and the habitat of the gharials after the eggs are laid and the incubation process begins. WTI staff also trains community members to form Village Vigilance Volunteer (V3) teams to keep a close watch on the Indo-Nepal illegal wildlife trade network and other such wildlife crimes in the areas.

Our aim is to build a sensitive community that actively participates in matters of wildlife conservation and grows even further to become active stalwarts in this field. With the crucial visit of the Chief Minister of Bihar, and his cabinet members, it has been reiterated that the Valmiki Tiger Reserve is a rich habitat that supports a healthy population of flora and fauna.

Wildlife Crime Control is one of our core divisions that adopts a multipronged approach to curb wildlife crime. From working undercover and providing leads to enforcement agencies on a wildlife crime in progress to training forest frontline staff and capacity building to fight wildlife crime. Click here to read more.