Vadodara: They are generally shy and prefer to hide within the thick bushes.
But over the past few years, sloth bears in Jambughoda and Ratanmahal sanctuary have had skirmishes with humans when they ventured out for food.
To ensure human-animal conflict doesn’t pose a risk for the bears, the forest department has initiated a campaign to make the ecological corridor between Jambughoda and Ratanmahal safer for the furry friends.
Aradhana Sahu, conservator of forests (wildlife), Vadodara told TOI: “There is a natural corridor for sloth bears between Jambughoda, Shoolpaneshwar and Ratanmahal where they keep moving.
They often venture out of the sanctuary and come in contact with humans resulting in conflict.
Our project aims to reduce this conflict and conserve the sloth bears.” With this aim, the department joined hands with Patan’s Hemchandra North Gujarat University where Dr Nishith Dharaiya has been doing an extensive study on sloth bears.
“The university has helped us understand the habitat of sloth bears and design awareness programmes among the locals,” Sahu said.
A team of forest officials have been educating the tribal villagers urging them not to become hostile to bears’ presence.
“Central Gujarat is home to over 50 lakh tribal people who depend on forest resources for their livelihood which exposes them to the wildlife like leopards and sloth bears,” says a report prepared by forest officials and the university.
“It is important that the locals understand bear behaviour its importance for the ecology.
Booklets on the bears have been designed for children and signboards have also been installed in the ecological corridor,” said forest officials who are teaching kids about bears.
Sloth bear attacks on humans went up in past one decade, mostly in summers, after locals started foraging bear habitats as well as the animal straying out on fringe areas in search of food and water as resources dry up.
Baldevsinh Waghela, divisional forest officer (DFO) (wildlife), Vadodara, said that efforts are on to develop a healthy ecosystem in the natural corridor.
“We are studying the bear’s movements, its population in the sanctuaries, water points and the kind of eco-system that will give it a good habitat in the corridor.”