JOIN USWhen the Yadahalli forest in Bilagi of Bagalkot district was declared as a wildlife sanctuary for chinkaras (Indian Gazelle) in 2015, it was M R Desai, honorary wildlife warden of the district, who breathed a sigh of relief. After four decades of his persistent efforts government had taken such a key decision.
"When I returned to Bilagi after my education in 1975, I realised that the forest, which was once home to diverse flora and fauna, had turned to be a desert. Everyone had free access to the area. Hunting, cultivation and manufacturing of liquor were common in the forest area," says 72-year-old Desai.
In 1976, he wrote his first letter to the State Forest Department to protect a small patch of forest in the Bilagi range. Flipping the diary, which contains hundreds of letters of correspondence with the Forest Department, he says, "It was not an easy task to convince the officials about the importance of this forest. While some responded positively, others just did not bother to reply."
It was only in 2015 that the State government declared Yadahalli forest as Karnataka's 25th wildlife sanctuary. Five days of ritual hunting practised by the tribal people of the region during Holi festival also posed a risk to the wildlife. As Hanamant B Doni, range forest officer, Bilagi, informs, "M R Desai played a vital role in convincing the tribal people not to venture into the forest for hunting. Several awareness camps, distribution of pamphlets and fencing of forest area helped the department bring hunting under control."
After winning all odds, Desai is now happy to see the return of chinkaras, leopards, striped hyenas, wolves, jackals, Indian foxes, porcupines, pangolins and civet cats in these forests.