The Odisha Government’s Forest Department on Monday asked the Jagatsinghpur district administration to help the Department rescue owl chicks from the holy Neem tree identified at Kharipadia village as Daru for the Nabakalebara of Lord Jagannath.
Acting upon a letter from Biswajit Mohanty, secretary of Wildlife Society of Orissa, the Principal CCF (Wildlife) and Chief Wildlife Warden wrote a letter to the Jagatsinghpur District Collector seeking a convenient date and time for a rescue team to be sent to rescue the owlets from the holy tree.
The rescue team will go led by Divisional Forest Officer, Cuttack Forest Division, the PCCF (Wildlife) said in his letter.
In his letter to the PCCF (Wildlife) earlier in the day, Mr. Mohanty said they had received reports that there is a nest of spotted owlets on the tree which has some fledging chicks that are unable to fly. Mr. Mohanty had urged the Department to take necessary steps for the protection of the spotted owlets that are a protected species under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
