Impact of stone quarrying on sloth bears in Swarnachud-Mitrapur reserve forest of Balasore, Odisha, India

In India, sloth bears are widely distributed but their population still in a risk of isolation and fragmentation. In Odisha, highest sloth bear population found in Swarnachud-Mitrapur reserve forest in the Nilagiri wildlife range (NWLR), which is a part of the Balasore wildlife division in Odisha and people of this region always face a major challenge of human-sloth bear conflict. Since 2021, stone quarrying activities have been operating in Kathagochhi village of Mitrapur and this area and its surroundings are the main habitat of sloth bears. Our present investigation observed that sloth bears of Mitrapur-Swarnachud reserve forest adversely affected by stone quarrying activities. Methodology includes field observation, photo documentation and interview of local people through a predesigned structured questionnaire to know the perceptions of local people about the impacts of stone quarrying on sloth bears and the local environment. Our study revealed that, stone quarrying activities cause sloth bear’s habitat destruction, increase human-sloth bear conflict, increase nutritional deprivation, increase sloth bears accident, declining their population in this region due to their migration to other areas, excessive noise from quarrying activities disturbed their behaviour like increase aggressiveness, fear, anxiety and alternation of timing of their daily activities. As their habitat exposed by quarrying activities, they were more prone to poaching, hunting, killing and capturing that ultimately affected their survival. There is an urgent need to conserve these species in this region by creating awareness programme among local people and maintaining strict regulation on stone quarrying activities in wild animal’s habitat.