THE JHARKHAND STORY NETWORK
Daltonganj, Jan 31: A BOMA truck has finally arrived at the Betla National Park under the Palamu Tiger Reserve PTR).
Deputy director of the south division of PTR Kumar Ashish said, “This truck is specially designed, advanced and specialised in translocating wildlife from one location to another with all safety and standard operational procedures.”
The truck has come from Jabalpur. The tiger reserves located in MP have been most frequently using this truck to load and unload its wildlife from one place to another depending on the density of the prey base.
Here in the Palamu Tiger Reserve, BOMA technique is the maiden venture. It is to be launched more as an experiment to be followed more in future.
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Replenish prey base in south division
Cheetals are to be translocated from Betla National Park to other locations away from Betla but under the same north division. It’s an intra-translocation.
The gender ratio of the Cheetals to be translocated is five females per one male Cheetal.
It is with the purpose of multiplying the progeny of the Cheetals in this tiger reserve.
The south division of the Palamu Tiger Reserve is too short of the prey base. Here the plan is to replenish the stock of the Cheetals.
300 animals to arrive from BBB Park Ranchi
The south division will have extra animals from Bhagwan Birsa Biological (BBB) Park Ormanjhi. It may take some more time but 300 extra animals contingent is to arrive here in the south division of PTR from Bhagwan Birsa Biological Park.
Ashish said this is to keep the BBB Park extra animals at an extra distance from the Betla treasure of the herbivores.
Ashish said we have got our highly experienced driver Sanjay Kumar Singh trained to drive this multi lakh worth BOMA truck.
“We are doing all-out efforts to start translocation of the Cheetals. It may take time for the Cheetals to first come into our enclosure to finally board the BOMA truck,” added Ashish.
On asked what if it gets more delayed and winter starts tapering by mid-February when grasses will be drying up, Ashish said, “We are seized with this issue. We hope we will be in a position to start translocating Cheetals from here to Lokaiyya and Heren Degwa soft release centres under the limits of the Palamu Tiger Reserve before February 15.”
The BOMA truck has two compartments. One compartment is where an excess of male Cheetals is to be de-trucked. The preference is more for the female Cheetals than the male ones.