Context: An experiment with Africa’s Boma technique undertaken at Keoladeo National Park in Rajasthan’s Bharatpur district for capturing and translocating spotted deer.
About Boma technique
- The Boma capturing technique involves luring animals into an enclosure by chasing them through a funnel-like fencing. It is popular in Africa.
- The funnel tapers into an animal selection-cum-loading chute, supported with grass mats and a green net to make it opaque for animals, which are then herded into a large vehicle for transport to another location.
- This old technique was earlier utilized to capture wild elephants for training and service.
Where is the Boma technique used?
- In recent years, it was adopted in Madhya Pradesh to capture a herd of nilgai.
- Boma has been put to practice for the first time in Rajasthan for sending the ungulates to the prey-deficient Mukundara reserve as the kills for tigers and leopards.
What is the significance of this transfer?
- This transfer will lead to herbivores populating the Mukundara Hills Tiger Reserve ahead of the proposed shifting of two tigers to Mukundara.
What is Keoladeo National Park?
- Keoladeo National Park or Keoladeo Ghana National Park is formerly known as the Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary is located in Bharatpur, Rajasthan.
- It is a man-made and man-managed wetland. It was declared as a protected sanctuary in 1971. It is also a World Heritage Site.
- One-third of the Park is a wetland with mounds, dykes and open water with or without submerged or emergent plants.
What is Mukundra Hills Tiger Reserve(TR)?
- Mukundra Tiger Reserve(TR) is located near Kota, Rajasthan. The Mukundra Hills was declared a Wildlife Sanctuary in 1955 and a National Park (Mukundra Hills (Darrah) National Park) in 2004.
- The reserve is located on the eastern bank of the Chambal River and is drained by its tributaries.
- The park is situated in a valley formed by two parallel mountains viz. Mukundra and Gargola.
- The Tiger Reserve constitutes 3 Wildlife Sanctuaries viz; Darrah, Jawahar Sagar, and Chambal.