Tourists prefer to go to Lodh Fall which comes under Mahuadarn Wolf Sanctuary but no tourist likes to visit wolf sanctuary. Tourists’ prime concern and interest are Betla and tiger other than these two the tourists do not look beyond.
M P Singh field director PTR concedes that pressure on Betla is enormous and as such more and more amenities are being provided like the tourists lodge coming up a little distance away from Betla forest rest house.
Singh said work is in full swing here. He said our other spots are equally good where a tourist can have enjoyment in plenty.
M K Mahaling deputy director PTR said wolf sanctuary in Mahuadarn too is to be face lifted so that tourists feel more ease of coming over here. A fleet of cameras will be set up near the 70 plus caves here which are the abode of the wolves.
On the other hand D S Srivastava member state wild life board said this wolf sanctuary is no permanent abode of the wolves but a transitory abode as wolves even from Chhatisgarh come here in the caves in the month of November December, stay put till April and then move out for their parent destination.
He further said the caves are located at high altitude and further the wolf sanctuary is a fragmented one and hence tourists just keep themselves away from this sanctuary. A portion of this sanctuary is in Parewa , some in Aksi and this kind of fragmentation of a sanctuary is no well meaning .
Sources said there has been no census of wolves in this sanctuary since 2014 as it was Srivastava and his team that did the survey in 2013 – 14. Mahaling confirming this said no census was carried out after 2014 because there is no definite protocol for count of wolves here. He said there is a protocol for tiger census which is very exhaustive and meticulous but for wolves it is most wanting.
Encroachment of wolf sanctuary land is another malaise gripping this as locals finding space open and porous encroach its land first for ‘ghoraan’ ( orchard) and then for house.