Aid for hurt wild animals in Satara's Karad hub

KOLHAPUR: The approval for a dedicated transit treatment centre for wild animals at Varade village in Karad taluka of Satara will help foresters get quick medical aid to injured animals.
Kolhapur, Satara and Sangli districts of western Maharashtra have a thick forest cover that spans four national sanctuaries and a tiger reserve corridor. Till now, wild animals hurt in the forests of Satara and Sangli districts had to be rushed to Katraj in Pune for treatment.
Once functional, the transit centre will have a dedicated veterinary doctor, one veterinary nurse and one helper along with forest department staff available twentyfour hours.Equipments required to capturing and rescuing a wild animal will also be available at this transit centre.
Clement Ben, chief conservator of forest, Kolhapur circle, said that five transit treatment centres were proposed in the circle. The one at Chikhali in Kolhapur is already operational. “The transit treatment centre at Varade near Karad will be very beneficial for the Satara and Sangli region. The Kolhapur circle is a dense forest zone with high wild animal count. The centre will help in wildlife conservation too.”
Deputy conservator of forest (Satara district) Dr Bharat Singh Hada said the centre at Varade is spread across a large area, where the wild animals can be treated and also left in the open. “This area has natural vegetation and a nursery to observe the treated animals. It will help decide if an animal requires further treatment or it is fit to be released into the wild,” he said. This transit treatment centre at Varade will be useful for wild animals from Chandoli, Sagareshwar, Koyana and Dajipur sanctuaries along with the Sahyadri tiger reserve.