A dedicated wildlife rescue van-cum-ambulance which will have the Right of Way like any other emergency vehicle will hit the city roads soon. The Bannerghatta Biological Park will get the unique ambulance built and will fit it with all the necessary equipment to rescue wild animals. The vehicle will have a dedicated wild animal rescue team, comprising a wildlife veterinarian and an expert marksman to shoot tranquiliser darts and ammunition, medicines, nets and more. The vehicle will be fitted with GPS and wireless communication sets to be in constant touch with the Bannerghatta Zoo base.

Sources said the ambulance will be ready in six months and the basic design has already been decided. “The proposal will be submitted during the council meeting where senior forest department officials and members of the Zoo Authority of Karnataka will take a decision. Once the vehicle plan is approved, we will talk to the Transport Departme-nt to get the certificate for Right of way for this ambulance,” they added. In fact, BBMP animal volunteers had demanded such a vehicle more than three years ago when three leopards strayed into residential areas within six months in 2008. The leopards were sighted outside their dens at ISRO centre in Baylalu and two schools situated closer to Bannerghatta forests.

Also, there have been a number of cases of rogue elephants rampaging through farms during the harvest season along Bannerghatta-Anekal road. “The tolerance level among urban residents and villagers has gone down, leading to the conflict. Once the animals are out of forests, it’s important that the people should not crowd around the animal giving scope for attacks,” a wildlife expert explained.