Berhampur | With most of the water sources dried up in the hot summer, the forest department in Odisha's Ganjam district has taken measures for filling pits and saucer pits in the blackbuck habitat areas to quench the thirst of animals.

Ganjam is the only district in the state, where the blackbucks, a Schedule 1 animal are sighted and their number was 7,745 in the latest count held in February.

The forest department has erected a number of saucer pits in the blackbuck habitat areas in Aska, Buguda and Polasra forest ranges under Ghumusar south division.

As the natural water bodies and saucer pits dried up due to the scorching sun in the month of April, the blackbuck, an endangered species, faced much difficulty in getting water to drink, an official said.

The animals often venture into the nearby villages in search of drinking water and are targeted by the stray dogs, said Amulya Upadhaya, president, Ganjam district blackbuck protection committee. He said they have rescued a blackbuck recently from a stray dog in the Bhetanai area, recently.

Blackbucks which were roaming in herds in Jagata Padia near Bhetanai, might have migrated to other places in search of the water, as the water bodies in the ground dried up or polluted in mud in the dry summer, he said.

Pramod Kumar Panda, range officer, Aska said they have kept strict watch on the movement of the blackbucks.

"We are regularly filling the pits with water. Despite the scorching heat, there was no dearth of water for the blackbuck in the range," he added. In addition, grass is raised in grasslands to provide fodder for herbivorous animals. PTI