Dehradun Apr 19 PTI Forest fires flared up in Uttarakhand on Tuesday as temperatures soared with 1989 hectares of forest land gutted in 117 fresh incidents of wildfires over the last 12 hours According to information provided by the forest department by 4 pm on Tuesday 117 fresh forest fire incidents were reported with Garhwal region accounting for 32 of them Kumaon region 75 and wildlife areas 10 While 1989 hectares of forest land has been destroyed in these fires causing an economic damage of Rs 528 lakh the department said On Monday 27 forest fire incidents were reported in Uttarakhand Chief Conservator of Forest forest fire and disaster management Nishant Verma said the fire season which began this year on February 15 has affected 102029 hectares of forest land which also includes 72493 hectares of reserved forest area However fortunately there have been no human casualties in the forest blazes this year he said Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has asked officials to control the situation by involving local people It is hot not just in Dehradun and adjoining areas but also in the hills Dehrdaun on Tuesday recorded a maximum of 40 degree celsius PTI ALM RCJ

Coimbatore Apr 18 PTI Forest officials on Monday arrested the owner of a banana grove wanted in connection with the electrocution of an elephant on his farm at Varappalayam village near here police saidTo prevent the entry of wild animals into the farm the accused put up an electric fence and the elephant believed to be 12 years old got killed said the police The incident took place in February last they said A case against the owner and his son was registered soon after said the police But the grove owner and his son went into hiding The owner was held today while a search was still on for the son the police added PTI NVM NVG NVG

Hyderabad Oct 31 PTI Forest officials have seized a tiger skin and took 10 persons into custody in Kagaznagar forest division on Sunday On Saturday two persons were apprehended for possessing tiger skin and during enquiry they said that hide was brought from Wadgaon village of Indervelly mandal of Adilabad district officials said Special teams on Sunday raided the village and eight others were taken into custody in connection with the seizure of tiger skin It was also revealed that the tiger skin was brought from another village approximately a year back from the cotton fields where this tiger was trapped in snares kept for wild boar they said in a release During the raid the teams found lower jaw and other bones of Tiger inside a house The tiger skin was kept for sale A probe is on they added PTI VVK ROH ROH

Ahmedabad Oct 30 PTI Forest officials recovered carcasses of a lioness and a leopardess from open wells in Shetrunjay wildlife division of Gir forest region in Gujarats Amreli district on Saturday An Asiatic lioness was found dead in an open well in Nageshree village in Jafrabad range forest while the carcass of a leopardess was recovered from another well in Juni Barpatoli village of Rajula range forest an official said The lioness was around five to nine years old while the leopardess was one to two years old the official said adding their carcasses were sent for post mortem According to the state forest department Gujarat has lost 313 lions in two years of 23 had died of unnatural causes in 2019-20 Former state Forest Minister Ganpat Vasava had said that the government has built parapet walls for 43000 open wells in Gir forest to prevent animals from falling into wells As per the census of June 2020 Gir forest region had 674 Asiatic lions an increase from 523 recorded in 2015 PTI KA ARU ARU

New Delhi Sep 24 PTI Forest and wildlife department personnel in Delhi will now be dressed in Khaki shirts and pants and will always carry a baton in the fieldThe city government notified the uniform dress code for the staff of the Forests and Wildlife Department on ThursdayCoincidentally four employees -- including a deputy range officer and two wildlife guards -- were injured in an attack by bootleggers in the Asola Wildlife Sanctuary on Thursday eveningOfficials said the dress will provide the staff identity and improve law enforcementSince the staff did not have a badge or a uniform it was very difficult to ensure compliance People would challenge their authority and even threaten them in some cases a forest department official said Thursdays incident is just an example of the challenges forest and wildlife department personnel face At times they have to engage with rowdy elements smugglers and criminals he saidEnvironmentalist Bhavreen Kandhari said the uniform which has its own strength will boost the confidence of the departments staffEven the resident welfare associations do not take tree officers seriously without a dress or an identity card she saidKandhari had in April filed a petition before the Supreme Court demanding that the field staff be provided with appropriate weapons uniforms vehicles and other ancillary logistical support to ensure protection in the line of dutyWhile forest staff are striving to protect our environment and its natural resources very little is done to protect them she saidAccording to the dress code forests wildlife inspectors and forest rangers will wear a peak cap with a black ribbon around it affixing letters DFW Department of Forests and Wildlife made of white metal Whereas forest and wildlife guards will don a khaki felt hat and carry a whistleOn Thursday evening around 25 people carrying rods attacked a forest team on being confronted by them according to Deputy Conservator of Forests South Division Amit AnandThe department has intensified efforts against the smugglers which seems to have rattled them he saidOn a few occasions we have been able to catch the smugglers along with the liquor stock Many times they run away seeing the departments personnel the official saidSmuggling happens in the dark and the smugglers carry weapons such as knives and sickle according to officialsCountry liquor is manufactured at a place adjacent to the wildlife sanctuary in Anangpur village in Faridabad The smugglers carry this alcohol to Sangam Vihar which does not have a liquor store of its ownThe smugglers have broken down a small portion of the sanctuarys boundary wall and use a shortcut to deliver liquor from Haryana to Delhi on foot or by motorcycleIn July the Delhi forest department had written to the Haryana administration asking it to identify and take action against liquor vends operating illegally in the eco-sensitive zone near the Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary in the neighbouring stateAnand said no action has been taken by Haryana authorities in this regard PTI GVS KJ