BIJNOR: With the backdrop of escalating incidents of man-animal conflict in the Bijnor district, the local forest department has prepared a project worth Rs 13 crore aimed at mitigating these conflicts.The project, developed under the Disaster Management Plan, will facilitate the procurement of drones, tranquillizing guns, cages and the establishment of a rescue centre.Over the past six months, the district has witnessed 15 deaths, while 50 others have suffered injuries in leopard attacks. According to sub-divisional forest officer Gyan Singh, Bijnor district is a wildlife and sugarcane area, providing a conducive environment for leopards to thrive. It is estimated that the region has over 300 big cats."We initiated a special operation to capture leopards, given the escalating man-animal conflicts. However, the absence of a rescue centre posed challenges," Singh said. "We have successfully captured and relocated 36 big cats to various zoos in Uttar Pradesh. The establishment of a dedicated rescue centre will enable us to keep these caged leopards on-site, facilitating the observation of their behaviour," he added.

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