Now, dirt bikers scare wildlife in Tungareshwar Wildlife enthusiast spots bikers racing on the mud track inside the sanctuary in the early morning hours; records video and hands it over to city- based NGO Ranjeet Jadhav ranjeet. jadhav@ mid- day. com ALMOST five months after an ashram inside Tungareshwar Wildlife Sanctuary ( TWS) was demolished following a Supreme Court order, the protected area is once again facing a threat u2014 this time from illegal dirt biking. While on a walk inside the sanctuary on February 9, a wildlife lover spotted a couple of bikers racing on the mud track. With the video of the act that he recorded going viral on social media, the authorities concerned have now started looking for the bikers.
Founder of Empower Foundation, Jalpesh Mehta, told mid- day, u201c It is the joint responsibility of citizens and state government to protect the forests. Tungareshwar Wildlife Sanctuary is a hidden gem and the Forest Department has been playing a very important role in conserving it. Citizens should also play their roles to protect wildlife and the environment.u201d The sanctuary, located on the northern side of Sanjay Gandhi National Park ( SGNP) is popular among wildlife enthusiasts and naturalists for birding.
Forest Department sources said that they were trying to find out whether the bikers are associated with any dirt biking clubs in the city.
Chief conservator of forest and SGNP director, Anwar Ahmed, said, u201c One person has been taken into custody. We are looking for the others.u201d The person who recorded the video has also taken a screenshot of one of the bikers, in which the vehicleu2019s registration number is visible A screenshot from the video in which the bikers are seen racing on the mud track inside Tungareshwar Wildlife Sanctuary u2018 lack of awareness is evidentu2019 Mayur Kamat, honorary wildlife warden of Mumbai suburbs and member of State Wildlife Board u2018 Young bikers riding through a protected wildlife area in the early morning hours is sad. Lack of awareness about our local wildlife and their habitats is evident through such acts. The department needs to increase vigilance and investigate these incidents.
Action also needs to be takenu2019 Kedar Gore, Kedar Gore, wildlife conservationist from The Corbett Foundation u2018 I saw the video of dirt bike racing inside Tungareshwar and it is terrible.
The department should take action against those involved and the sanctity of the protected area must be maintained. Such activities can be undertaken elsewhere but certainly not inside a sanctuary or national parku2019
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