Dehradun/Pauri Garhwal: The fear of leopards has spread so much in Pauri Garhwal, Uttarakhand, that 55 schools have been forced to close. Now, online classes have become a necessity. The 55 schools in the district will remain closed until Tuesday. To ensure children’s education is not affected, the Education Department has issued instructions to schools to conduct online classes.
Leopards and bears have become synonymous with terror in the mountainous regions of Uttarakhand. A leopard killed a young man in the Chavath Gram Sabha, adjacent to Pauri. Since then, an atmosphere of panic has prevailed in the village. The Education Department has also been alerted by the leopard’s activity near the Government Primary School, Quali, and ordered 55 schools in the area to remain closed until Tuesday.
School timings also changed
All schools in the rural areas of the Bada, Chardhar, and Dhandhari clusters of the district will remain closed until Tuesday. According to Deputy Education Officer Anand, the decision to close schools until Tuesday was made for the safety of children. Teaching will continue online to ensure children’s education is not disrupted. In light of the increased activity of wild animals, District Magistrate Swati S. Bhadoria has also temporarily changed the timings of schools and Anganwadi centers in the district. Schools and Anganwadis will operate from 9:15 am to 3 pm only.
Terror of Leopards in Garhwal, Uttarakhand
The menace of bears and leopards is increasing in the Garhwal region of Uttarakhand. Events ranging from school-going children to weddings are being hampered by these wild animals. In mountainous regions, weddings are held in open fields, while many other events are also held outdoors. However, the increasing menace of leopards and bears is creating panic in these events as well.
Attacks by wild animals are on the rise, and people are wary of gathering crowds for weddings or other events. In response to bear and leopard attacks in Pauri, Chamoli, Rudraprayag, and Uttarkashi, the Forest Department has put its Quick Reaction Team on alert.
People are forced to remain confined to their homes as dusk falls.
Due to the increasing activity and attacks by wild animals in mountainous areas, villages in many areas become deserted by dusk. People are confined to their homes as dusk falls. People are also hesitant to venture into the forest to collect fodder for their animals, leading to a shortage of fodder for their animals.
Recently, Garhwal Lok Sabha MP and national media chief Anil Baluni met with Union Minister for Forest, Environment, Wildlife and Climate Change Bhupendra Yadav in New Delhi and held a serious discussion about the increasing human-wildlife conflict in the Garhwal region. He urged the Union Minister to conduct a detailed study of the root causes of human-wildlife conflict through the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, and other expert institutions, to ensure long-term and effective solutions.
Bear-Whistle-Warning
The Union Minister also assured prompt positive action on this issue. Meanwhile, children in Chamoli have adopted a unique method to ward off bears. They are whistling and making noise while going to and from school. Recently, bear activity in various areas of Chamoli created problems for schoolchildren.
In rural areas, children have to walk several kilometers to reach school, causing constant concern for parents. In many places, parents have formed groups and taken the responsibility of dropping their children off at school, while in other places, children are walking to and from school on their own. Children from Syun in the Dasoli development block of Chamoli come to Janta Inter College, Bemuru, and as such, they have to cross a forested path of approximately four to five kilometers on foot. During this time they walk while whistling and making noise, so that no wild animal can come near them.
