The Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) authorities are looking for volunteers to photograph waterholes that will help serve two purposes — keeping an eye out for any traps that may have been laid by the poachers, and to check the water levels at artificial holes.
“During summer months, water bodies dry up and as a result, water holes are the only source of water for the animals inside the park. This fact is well known, even to the poachers, and so they lay traps near these water holes,” said an official associated with the project.
One of the ways to keep a tab on the poachers and their activities next to the water hole is to ensure frequent presence of forest guards and volunteers.
“The volunteers will infrequently visit these water holes. They will then photograph the water hole as well as its surroundings to capture evidence if anything is amiss. The volunteer then emails the pictures to the concerned person who will store and analyse the data,” added the source.
According to the data available, currently there are 27 listed waterholes in the national park. In the last few months, there have been cases of poaching around the water holes. This work will be carried out over a month or till the time monsoon arrives.
The authorities with the forest department have been constantly taking the help of volunteers under the banner of “Mumbaikars for SGNP” due to a staff crunch within. With this, the nature lovers get to participate in the process of protecting and preserving the nature and its creatures.
The other advantage is that the activities of the forest department too can be observed in a fair and transparent manner.