MillenniumPost
Bengal

New wildlife warden’s office to boost Neora Valley conservation efforts

New wildlife warden’s office to boost Neora Valley conservation efforts
X

Jalpaiguri: The Forest department is going to start a separate Assistant Wildlife Warden’s office at Lava in Kalimpong, emphasising the importance of Neora Valley National Park in Kalimpong Hills under the Jalpaiguri Gorumara Wildlife Division. The Assistant Wildlife Warden, an officer of the rank of Additional Forest Officer, will be accompanied by a forest ranger and six other forest personnel.

According to the Gorumara Wildlife Department, this decision was made due to operational challenges caused by Neora Valley’s distance from Jalpaiguri. The matter has been sent to higher authorities and once approval is received, the separate Assistant Wildlife Warden’s office will be established.

Dwijaa Pratim Sen, DFO of the Gorumara Wildlife Division, stated: “Even though Neora Valley National Park is within the Gorumara Wildlife Division, it is quite far from Jalpaiguri. Additionally, the importance of the work has increased due to the presence of the tiger. Working from such a distance poses some challenges, so the office at Lava will play a very important role. The Assistant Wildlife Warden will report to the DFO on all matters, which will aid in conservation work on biodiversity and managing the tiger habitat in Neora.”

Neora Valley National Park is located on the border of Nepal, Bhutan and Sikkim at an altitude of over 3200 meters in the Kalimpong hills, covering an area of 88 square kilometers. Due to environmental conditions, entry into this forest is restricted, with some areas remaining untouched even by forest workers, earning it the name “virgin forest.” The park hosts a variety of wildlife, including red pandas and now, the Royal Bengal Tiger.

An initiative to determine the exact number of tigers in Neora used the dense jungle polygon search method. Since 2016, the Forest department has received information about tiger movements. In 2017, two tigers were captured at altitudes between 2,250 and 2,600 meters in Neora using video trap cameras. Later, tiger sightings were reported by motorbike and car drivers in the area. Subsequent camera traps by the Forest department captured about 15 to 22 images of tigers in 2018 and 2019.

Next Story
Share it