AHMEDABAD: With Cyclone Biparjoy approaching the Gujarat coast, the state forest department has undertaken a series of pre-emptive measures to protect wildlife in addition to humans. The Wildlife and Territorial Circle of Junagadh has formed a total of 184 teams under its nine divisions. These crews will swiftly act to clear downed trees and rescue wild animals. 58 control rooms have been set up so that emergency SOS signals involving wild animals may be handled effectively.
The Gir East, Gir West, Sasan, Porbandar, Surendranagar, Jamnagar, Bhavnagar, Morbi and Junagadh Forest Divisions are all included in the Junagadh Wildlife and Territorial Circle. Rescue teams have been strategically positioned in Gir Forest, Narayan Sarovar Sanctuary in Kutch and Mata No Madh, Barda and Narayan Sarovar.
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The forest department has created a sophisticated lion migration monitoring system to track the movement of lions during natural disasters. This technology provides a few lions that live in packs with radio collars so that their mobility may be monitored in a special monitoring cell through satellite link. The monitoring team is currently closely examining the 40 lions living in the state's Gir forest and coastal areas.
As seven rivers and water bodies are included in the lion zone, special teams have been stationed strategically close to these sites to execute rescue operations in the event of severe rain and flood flows. These groups will work to save both humans and lions. In addition, as a precaution, the Maldharis (pastoral communities) living in the Gir have been evacuated to safer areas.
The government has taken special care to protect the sanctuary area within the region. Four rescue teams have been dispatched to locations like Mata no Madh, Barda, Narayan Sarovar Sanctuary in Narayan Sarovar, and Dayapar Range of Dayapur in Kutch. Further, several measures have been implemented in the vast desert area of Kutch.
Nityanand Srivastav, Chief Wildlife Warden of Gujarat, said, "The government is fully prepared to tackle the challenges posed by the cyclone. We are on high alert. We have previously built our standard operating procedures (SOPs) and formed various teams to meet the difficulties after receiving prior warning from the government. Adequate planning and attentiveness have given us enough time to design and implement appropriate field measures."