NEW DELHI: The Wildlife Institute of India (WII) is likely to assist the Delhi Forest and Wildlife Department in the ongoing wildlife census at the Asola sanctuary in the capital, said officials. According to officials in the forest department, WII joining the survey is good news, as it will bring in both scientific resources as well as technical expertise.
"We have been holding talks with WII to assist in the project, which will take the ongoing study to the next level. It will add to the resources including camera traps, which is the one of the major requisites, and involve more foresters for the study," said an official. There are 30 camera traps in the sanctuary area. At least 100 more are required to cover a larger area, the official added.
The department had reached out to the WII for assisting in the census earlier also. However, the matter was deferred because of pandemic-related restrictions. The study that started last July is the first ever wildlife census in the Asola sanctuary by the department, along with the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS).
Leopard is one of the focal points of the census. So far, five leopards have been sighted in the camera traps. Interestingly, the first of the five, first spotted in September last year, was again sighted late on Saturday evening during patrol by forest guards in the sanctuary area.
Sohail Madan, ecologist and centre manager of BNHS in the sanctuary, said the collaboration of WII will be of great value to the census and help expand its reach. "For instance, at present we are trying to send diet samples of the mammals to WII to understand prey base and animal behaviour. Once we get an approval from them, we will send it across. Once they become a part of the exercise, all these things will become simpler and help make the long-term study much more comprehensive," said Madan.
At present, data of all the mammals like occurrence, population density and movement between habitats is being undertaken. "We could study the covariance - temporal or spatial overlap between large carnivores and ferral dogs, which are a problem to wildlife everywhere," said Madan.
Leopard habitat
The sanctuary is spread over 32.71 sqkm on the southern Delhi Ridge of Aravalli hill range on the Delhi-Haryana border. It is a habitat of leopards and some rare varieties of vultures, among others