From a small fishing hamlet spread over 1.2 sq km in 1900 to a burgeoning metropolis with an area of over 680 sq km, the transformation of Visakhapatnam city has been rapid and relentless.
The city’s population has also breached the 2 million mark, up from 16,000 in 1858.
The city’s meteoric growth in the last four decades has however come at a significant cost — man-animal conflict has seen a sharp rise as the animals’ habitat continues to be encroached upon by real estate
and industries.
Cases on the rise
The unchecked encroachment of forest space is taking a toll on the ecosystem of wild animals. In the last 15 years, the city has witnessed at least 10 leopards (panthers) straying into the city, with a few instances of the big cats walking along the road into densely populated areas such as MVP Colony, Madhavadhara and Simhachalam.
In two unfortunate incidents, two leopards were crushed under the wheels of heavy trucks when the animals had come out of the reserve forest and strayed onto the National Highway in search of food.
The last time a leopard was sighted in the city was on June 5 last year, when a CCTV camera at a residential colony in Rushikonda recorded the movement of the big cat. Alarmed residents called the police, who in turn alerted the Forest Department officials and also cautioned people living in the area to not venture out in the night.
This apart, in 2007, a spotted male barking deer entered Arilova area from Kambalakonda reserve forest area and was found in a drain at Arilova. The Animal Rescue Team reached the area, rescued the animal and sent it to the local zoo.
Members of the reptile families, including full-grown Indian rock pythons and cobras, are common even in residential areas.
Visible effects
The conflict is becoming increasingly visible over the years. In the last 15 years, the only thing to have seen a drastic drop is the forests in and around the city limits. As per the National Forest Policy 1988, one-third of the city’s area should be dedicated to vegetation, including forest area. As per a survey by the forest department, less than 18% of the city space is dedicated to vegetation.
Habitat loss to blame
According to Prof. U. Shameem from the Department of Zoology, Andhra University, being rendered homeless and being deprived of food and water is the prime reason for animals straying into human habitats.
"In the name of development and urbanisation, human have been encroaching upon the natural habitat of the animals, leaving them homeless and without food and water," Prof. Shameem said.
Curator of Indira Gandhi Zoological Park (IGZP) Yasoda Bai said that the geographic condition of Visakhapatnam is different as the NH passes through the forest region. In some cases, wild animals come out of the jungle to nearby localities in search of water, especially during summer.
"To address this issue, we have been arranging artificial water bodies for the sake of wild animals in the Kambalakonda forest region to reduce the man-animal conflict," said Ms. Yasoda Bai.
Unique topography
The city of Visakhapatnam is blessed with a unique topography. It has two reserve forests such as Sitakonda and Kambalakonda embedded within the city limits. While Sitakonda extends to about 500 hectares, Kambalakonda measures about 7,100 hectares.
While some of the forested area in both the forests has been lost, the biggest loss is the revenue hills that are part of the forests.
About 80% of the revenue hillocks have been encroached, thanks to rampant illegal quarrying.
Though revenue hillocks are not classified as reserve forests, they do have sufficient foliage for animal sustenance, said a senior officer from the Forest Department.