Rapid Response Force to handle Man vs Wild situations in Pune

                           Man vs Wild

Pune to get its own Rapid Response Force to handle Man vs Wild conflict situations like December 2020. 

 A team of 12 people will be formed for handling the 'wild animal rescue' task. They will be given equipment, walky-talkies, guns, and training needed for the task. 

    Pune witnessed two Gaurs in the City in the Month of December 2020. On 9th December and shortly on 22nd December. First Gaur aged 3 or 4 and weighing 700 Kgs died due to exhaustion and shock after 10 hrs of a high voltage rescue operation and running 3 km long from Mahatma Colony Kothrud to Paud road. Fortunately, the second Gaur which was spotted 7 km away from the first in Sutarwadi near Pune-Banglore Highway was sent back to his natural habitat successfully. 

   It is feared that grazing lands and water in the Tamhini Ghat, Mulshi areas are depleting rapidly. So Gaurs are leaving their areas in search of new habitat. If this is the case, then we might see many such encounters in the future between Gaurs and Humans. Therefore it becomes logical to have such a Rapid Response Force to handle such Man vs Wildlife conflict professionally and successfully without any casualties. 

We saw how people flocked to see the mammal and chased it on two-wheelers last time. Gaur is a shy animal that avoids confrontation with humans. But if this time the crowd frenzy made it really angry leading to temperature rise in its body and respiratory problem due to shock and panic. Gaur was bleeding really badly, yet people were busy capturing it on Mobile phones, screaming and chasing it. The death of the Bison due to such public-frenzy raised many questions about our preparedness to handle such conflicts between Man vs Wild.  

A shopkeeper raised this replica of bison to seek forgiveness from its soul. Ignorant people killed Bison out of their curiosity. 

      There are some important points that came into the limelight after these two incidents. 

1) Not enough Tranquillizers

   It took 14 hrs to bring Tranquilizers from Katraj based sanctuary. Pune's tranquilizer gun was in Solapur at that time to rescue the Leopard which was on a killing spree in Karmala. 

2) Not Enough Equipment

   Wild Animals are huge and heavy. The types of equipment used for rescuing were not at all useful. There is a need to develop special types of barricades, cages, and other equipment for rescue. 

3) Not enough Training

   There was no plan to capture the Bison harmlessly. In the first instance, they could not even think to divert bison to its natural habitat the way they did on the second occassion. All they could think of Tranquillizing the giant and lift in and transport it to its habitat. Mismanagement eats more time, which makes animals more furious and tired. 

4) No Crowd Management

  It was the duty of law and enforcement agencies to stop people from coming to the spot. Mindless media kept showing the 'rescue operation' which added more and more spectators there. That created the frenzy which terrified the young Gaur. 

5) No Research on Animals

 It was very clear that except Forest Department, none of the officials there had any idea of how Gaurs (Indian Bisons) behaves in such conditions. The Bison dashing Car, running helter-skelter was a completely new experience to them. If Western Ghat is a Natural Habitat of Gaurs and more such Gaurs from Tamhini Ghat are expected to visit City in the future, it's important that Rapid Response Force Member should do some primary research on the animal they are facing. 

6) Responsibility of Citizens

  Wildlife Conservation is a collective responsibility. People should understand that these animals are listed as 'vulnerable' under the IUCN list. We have to protect them from getting extinct. There was no need to flock to the spot to see the Bison. There was no need to spread rumors on Social Media. Let the Rescue Teams do their work. Do not interrupt and interfere. Let the experts do their jobs. Please back off. 

In the conflict between Man vs Wild, it is expected that Man should protect the Wild and ensure that it returns to its natural habitat unharmed. Man must stop the encroachment in the Wild and avoid such conflicts completely, to stay the ecosystem in balance.