The forest department has introduced several measures to protect both wildlife and the human lives and livelihoods of villagers residing near forest zones. Among these, the large-scale construction of chain-link fencing stands out as a highly-effective intervention.According to senior officials of the forest department, specifically, in 2023–24, about 125 km of chain-link and 21 km of solar fencings were installed, followed by 106 km of chain-link and 20 km of solar fencing in 2024–25.“These barriers have proven successful in deterring wildlife from straying into human settlements, thereby, reducing crop damage, loss of human lives, and incidents involving domestic animals entering forest areas and falling prey to wild predators,” said the official spokesman of forest department.The selection and training of ‘Bagh Mitras’ for villages bordering tiger reserves, including Pilibhit Tiger Reserve, Dudhwa Tiger Reserve in Lakhimpur Kheri as well as the Lion Safari in Etawah has emerged as a game-changing initiative.
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