The recent sighting of a black panther in Odisha has brought joy to wildlife lovers in the state as well as the country. In times of serious concern over vanishing wildlife, the black panther and a discovery of a new species of eel in the Bay of Bengal along the Odisha coast have generated great enthusiasm. The state is known to be bestowed with astonishing biodiversity and the recent sightings not only stand testimony to it but also to the fact that nature, when left undisturbed, can spring pleasant surprises.
Sadly, the same cannot be said of the rest of Odisha where a fierce pace of development has left its wildlife resources at great peril. Multiplication of linear infrastructure such as highways and rail network, more number of irrigation projects and mines in wildlife corridors have spelt doom for a majority of species in the state. One of the largest elephant bearing states in eastern India, Odisha also reports the highest number of conflict scenarios. In last three years alone, over 240 persons have been killed by elephants The incidence of wild bear attacks, straying and retaliatory lynchings have grown alarmingly which suggest that very little attention has been given to the grave issue of habitat fragmentation. Currently, one of the state’s two tiger reserves is virtually empty while a third, given in-principle approval by the Centre a decade back, still awaits notification.
Odds notwithstanding, a sound conservation mechanism can bring great results. A case in point is the demolition of illegal prawn culture which had encroached Chilka lake for decades. The state forest department launched a massive eviction operation which paved way for proliferation of the endangered Irrawaddy dolphins in the brackish lagoon. It is imperative that the state government maintains a fine balance between development and conservation. Otherwise the hope that a discovery of new species brings will turn into great despair not only for the current generation but more importantly for posterity.
