SAMBALPUR: For better sighting of wildlife and creating awareness about their habitation among visitors, the Hirakud Wildlife Division has divided the tourism zone of the Debrigarh Wildlife Santuary into seven sub-zones. The division has been done according to the population distribution of wildlife within the zone besides terrestrial and migratory birds sighted in the area.
Debrigarh Wildlife Sanctuary in Bargarh district is spread over 354 sqkm and approachable from Sambalpur town via Hirakud Dam and Right dyke of the dam. While the Zeropoint is the entry to the sanctuary, from there the stretch of 55 km upto Parbatitung has been demarcated as the Ecotourism Zone. Animal sighting is quite high in this zone as it lies along the shore of the Hirakud Lake between Dhodrokusum and Parbatitung.
Recently, the Hirakud Wildlife Division divided the eco tourism zone into seven sub-zones including Bison Zone, Wildboar, Leopard, Sambar, Spotted Deer, Bear and Birds view zones. “The objective of the sub-zoning is to facilitate better sighting of the wildlife by the visitors who avail Jungle Safari. This apart, the eco-guides also create awareness among the visitors about wildlife habitation,” said DFO, Hirakud Wildlife Division Anshu Pragyan Dash. The 15-km forest road passing along the tourism zone is most of the time traversed by a variety of wildlife in big herds. Due to high density of wild animals like Bison, Leopard and Sloth Bear, the trekking programmes are also organized in the periphery of tourism zone near the Hirakud Lake, she added.
However, department sources said measures are being taken to prevent disturbance to the wildlife and their movement. Private vehicles are completely restricted on the road. Moreover, habitat enrichment is also done at regular intervals which includes maintenance of meadows at regular intervals and restoration of salt licks.