Bhubaneswar, July 17 -- The Hirakud Wildlife Division has rolled out an extensive monsoon protection plan for the Debrigarh Wildlife Sanctuary, issuing a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) that mandates intensive patrolling, anti-poaching surveillance, and emergency response measures from July to October to safeguard wildlife during the vulnerable rainy season.
The move comes as the onset of the monsoon heightens the risk of poaching, timber smuggling and human intrusion into the 353-sq km sanctuary, one of Odisha's most important protected areas. Home to a thriving population of gaur, leopard, sloth bear, sambar, spotted deer and four-horned antelope, Debrigarh has also recorded successful breeding of the endangered Indian dhole.
A major...