Wildlife Department plans more camera traps to spot rare animals

In a rare success for the Punjab Wildlife Department, cameras installed by it in the Takhni-Rehmapur Wildlife Sanctuary in Hoshiarpur recently captured a rusty-spotted cat, an elusive member of the feline family.

This was the first instance when the animal was spotted in the state. Dharminder Sharma, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Punjab, said the cat was listed as a “near threatened” species since 2016 by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

“The global population of the cat is fragmented and affected by the loss and destruction of its prime habitat — deciduous forests,” says Sharma. Apart from the Hoshiarpur wildlife sanctuary, the department has installed cameras at two more places — Harike Wildlife Sanctuary and Siswan Community Reserve.

Now, the sighting of a rare animal has encouraged the department to install cameras at other places also to record the faunal diversity. These cameras have captured the movement of barking deer, porcupine, civets, smooth-coated otters along with young pups, leopards, antelopes and rare bird species.

“With more vigil and check-posts to check poaching, we are trying to preserve the areas with more sightings and keep them suitable for wild animals,” says Sharma.

Wildlife experts say spotting of rare birds and animals is a positive sign. “Since camera traps are an effective and non-invasive way to monitor faunal activities, there remains a possibility of getting a glimpse of some rare and elusive species,” says wildlife photographer Jaskaran Sandhu.

Punjab