MP: 45 blackbucks captured from Shajapur released into Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary

Shajapur (MP), Oct 21 (PTI) Under a campaign to protect crops from wild animals in Shajapur district of Madhya Pradesh, 45 blackbucks captured with the help of experts from South Africa were released into the Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary, an official said on Tuesday.

The operation to capture nilgais and blackbucks using a helicopter and boma technology was carried out in Imlikheda village in the district between Sunday and Monday night, the official said.

Shajapur District Collector Riju Bafna said, "The blackbucks captured from Imlikheda by a team from South Africa and the forest department were released into the Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary without any animal loss." As many as 45 blackbucks were captured with the help of a helicopter, she said.

The campaign to capture nilgais and blackbucks is being conducted with permission from the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, and with the in-principle consent of the state government.

The move aims to address the long-standing problem of wild animals damaging crops in the district.

According to officials, this is the first time that blackbucks have been captured from fields in Madhya Pradesh and released into the forests with the help of a South African team and their technology.

Six locations have been selected for the blackbuck capture campaign and four for nilgai capture in the district, they said.

The blackbuck capture areas in the district include Gawadi and Naya Samajkheda villages in Shujalpur and Imlikheda, Umarsingi, Arniyakalan, and Dungle in Kalapipal.

Similarly, the villages of Lahori Balda and Gopipur in Shajapur, Madana in Shujalpur, and Nipanya Karju in Susner are included for capturing nilgais.

Under this campaign, 100 nilgais and 400 blackbucks are to be captured using the Boma method and released into the Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary and other forest reserves in the state.

The Boma method, a popular South African technique, involves luring animals using helicopters, chasing and herding them into a pen. PTI COR MAS ARU