The animals may have smelt the quake and escaped to safety. But will they roam their habitats again? The Jammu and Kashmir Wildlife department has started assessing damage to wildlife in the quake-ravaged Uri sector — home to many endangered species.Uri has Lachipora and Limber wildlife sanctuaries, home to 300 of the nearly extinct Qazinag Markhor, a majestic mammal with trademark corkscrew horns. It also has the Naganari Conservation Reserve, several catchment areas, and forests.The region is also home to the endangered Western Tragopan besides Himalayan Musk Deer, Himalayan Goral, Black Bear, Kashmir Leopard, and the langur.“It has been seen that wild animals escape to safety before quakes. The last week’s quake would have had the least effect on wildlife,” assured Regional Wildlife Warden Mohammad Shafi Bacha. “But their habitat might have got damaged.” Bacha says the department is conducting a survey in Uri to assess damages. “The report will be submitted to us before October 25”, he said.The state government along with Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) and the World Wildlife Organisation is planning the largest wildlife national park in Uri along the LoC. Block officer, Limber Wildlife Sanctuary, Mushtaq Ahmad said the field staff had conducted a survey in the lower region of the sanctuary. “We could not reach the upper areas because of aftershocks but we would be able to conclude the survey in the next few days,” he said.The author of The Exploration of Uri Sector and a scientist at the Sher-i-Kashmir University of Agriculture and Science and Technology, Dr Farooq Ahmed Lone, said the quake might have damaged nests and caves. “The quake would have disturbed the habitat of the animals and hit them indirectly,” he said. “The psycho-behavioural change in the animals might prove detrimental to breeding. The erosion of coal deposits in water streams, which was reported from various areas of the sector, could have contaminated streams and might prove a health hazard in the long run,” Lone said.
