Blackbucks to get rescue centre in Narayanpet

Farmers in Maganuru, Krishna, Makthal, Utkoor, Narwah, Devarkadra and many other places have been complaining about blackbucks and spotted deer invading their fields frequently.

Narayanpet: Farmers in different mandals of the district can now heave a sigh of relief as the Forest department is gearing up to set up a rescue centre for capturing and translocating blackbucks and spotted deer to other places.

Farmers in Maganuru, Krishna, Makthal, Utkoor, Narwah, Devarkadra and many other places have been complaining about blackbucks and spotted deer invading their fields frequently. With plenty of water available and input subsidy, farmers since the last few years have been cultivating two crops a year in the region. Earlier, due to lack of sufficient water availability, only one crop used to be cultivated and in the other season, the fields used to turn into grasslands for blackbucks to feed. Now, with two crops being cultivated and blackbucks invading their fields, farmers are a worried lot.

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Since blackbucks are Schedule 1 species, they cannot be harmed or hunted.

Worried over the crop damages, the farmers have been appealing the forest department to capture the blackbucks and save their crops. Since majority of the lands come under the purview of the revenue department, the forest department officials could not initiate any action due to different reasons.

Since 2021, the local officials have been appealing the head office for financial assistance of Rs.2.6 crore. The idea was to set up a rescue centre for capturing the blackbucks and spotted deer and translocate them to different places.

After repeated pleas, the head office accorded administrative sanction of Rs.2.7 crore for setting up a rescue centre spread over 75 acres at Mudumul under Krishna mandal in the district.

“After capturing the blackbucks, they will be placed at the rescue centre. The idea is to translocate them to Amrabad or Kawal Tiger Reserves or Eturnagaram forests. But to take up this exercise, permission will have to be obtained from wildlife authorities,” said an official.

The forest department would be adopting the ‘boma’ method to capture the blackbucks. Under this method, the blackbucks are lured into an enclosure which would have a wide opening at one end and a narrow opening at the other. At the narrow end, a vehicle would be arranged and the blackbucks would be chased into the funnel-like fencing and eventually into the vehicle, which would be covered with grass and other material.