Haldwani, Nov. 8 -- A wildlife rescue centre will be established at Vajula in Uttarakhand's Bageshwar district, with Rs.1.6 crore sanctioned for the project. Spread over approximately 1.5 hectares, the proposed facility will provide shelter and care for rescued wild animals, including leopards, langurs, and monkeys. The centre is expected to strengthen the forest department's wildlife rescue and management operations in the district, enabling officials to accommodate animals locally for treatment, care, and rehabilitation. Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Prakash Arya said the proposal for the Vajula centre has been approved. "The centre will eliminate the need to send rescued animals to other districts for treatment and care. It will also help speed up rescue operations," Arya said. The development comes amid rising concerns over wildlife movement in residential areas and human-wildlife conflict in the district. The facility will provide infrastructure to handle animals rescued from populated areas and other high-risk zones. Meanwhile, the forest department's monkey-capture drive is underway across Bageshwar, with teams capturing 568 monkeys so far to address growing conflict in populated areas. Officials said the drive will continue. In another step to bolster its response mechanism, the department has formed Quick Response Teams (QRTs) across all six forest ranges in the district. Each five-member team will be equipped with a vehicle to ensure immediate deployment to affected locations upon receiving complaints....