The piercing call of a cuckoo echoes through the trees. Behind the thick bushes on the sides, a spotted deer looks startled, licking its lips and twitching its ears. A little ahead, the dusty pathway along the forested area leads to a waterbody surrounded by undulating hills. Here, a few kayaks wobble on still waters before getting into a rhythm. Half an hour into the waters, the kayakers step out to walk into the adventure sports zone for some adrenaline rush at the Burma bridge and zip-liner.
Enveloped in green, Kambalakonda Eco Tourism Park is buzzing with action after a long pandemic-induced gap. Close to the city, the eco tourism park is part of the Kambalakonda Wildlife Sanctuary spread over 7,100 hectares. While boating, trekking and adventure sports have begun in full swing at the park, the AP Forest Department has initiated a project to map the faunal species of the forest area. About 75 cameras have been placed across the sanctuary recently in a camera trapping exercise. "The forest is rich in diverse species indicated in previous records like wild dogs, pangolins and leopards, herpetofauna (reptiles and amphibians) as well as resident and migratory bird species. In a month's time, we will be able to assess the data and make a list of species," says Anant Shankar, District Forest Officer. For the exercise, the forest has been divided into grids, each measuring one kilometre in length and one kilometre in width. A camera is placed in each grid for monitoring of wildlife.
