The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Plan to declare Mudumalai sanctuary area `eco-sensitive zone'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jul 01, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Plan to declare Mudumalai sanctuary area `eco-sensitive zone'

By D. Radhakrishnan

UDHAGAMANDALAM, JUNE 30. A proposal to declare areas within the 10-km radius of the Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park "Eco-sensitive zone" will soon be sent to the Chief Wildlife Warden.

The Wildlife Warden, the Nilgiris, Ashok Upreti, said the move was in keeping with a recent Indian Board of Wildlife directive to take steps to protect all sanctuaries. It would help to prevent setting up of ``harmful'' industries in such areas.

A proposal to expand the sanctuary by merging the Singara and Sigur forest ranges was pending. Construction activities would not be allowed in the sanctuary or forests surrounding it without getting a no-objection certificate from wildlife and forest authorities.

The population of Nilgiri tahr in the Mukurthi National Park, near here, was "sizable", according to a recent census conducted by the Forest department with the assistance of the Nilgiris Wildlife and Environment Association (NWLEA).

The Mukurthi sanctuary, sprawling over 78.46 square km, was set up in April 1982 to protect the Nilgiri tahr and its habitat.

The census revealed that the Nilgiri tahrs (Hemitragus hylocrius), `highly-endangered' goat species, were reproducing themselves at a `healthy' rate. During the two-day census operation, the park was divided into 18 blocks, and 157 tahrs were sighted in eight blocks.

In the remaining blocks there were fresh pellets though the animals could not be seen due to incessant rains and mist.

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