Delhi-NCR To Get Country's First Wildlife Corridor To Ensure Safe Movement Of Animals

In an attempt to minimise the human-animal conflict and ensure protection of the wildlife, the forest departments of Delhi and Haryana have stated that they are working on creating a green corridor on a busy road stretch near the Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary.

The interstate corridor will provide a free passage to leopards and other animals near the busy road stretch and is being hailed as a first-of-its-kind pathway for wildlife management in an urban region.

India's First Urban Wildlife Corridor

Officials said that this corridor will provide a safe passage for the movement of animals especially the leopards in the sanctuary that is surrounded by busy road stretches. Delhi's forest department will seek expertise from Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) on this project.

Asola Bhatti wildlife sanctuary extends over 32 km in the Southern Delhi Ridge of the Aravali Hills range.

Three roads with heavy traffic around the wildlife sanctuary are Surajkund-Faridabad Road, Gurgaon-Faridabad Road, and Mehrauli-Badarpur Road, reported The Times of India.

Leopard Deaths In The Past

A two-year-old female leopard was killed after a vehicle hit her on the Pali Road in Faridabad on Monday. It was not an isolated incident, as another leopard had died on the Gurugram-Faridabad road last October.

As per media reports, at least five leopards have been killed in the last five years due to road accidents near the sanctuary.

"At these three places, the Gurgaon-Faridabad road and Pali road run along the wall of the sanctuary. Three leopards, who have found a habitat in the sanctuary and have been spotted in an abandoned open-pit mine, cross the Gurgaon-Faridabad road to drink water from a water body on the other side. This is where these accidents take place," said Bombay Natural History Society's Delhi head Sohail Madan, reported NDTV.

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