“Dear friends of JNR. It is with great sadness that we have to inform you about a major forest fire that has affected almost 80% of the Reserve. The team fought valiantly to control it but it was just too severe to manage.”
Jaberkhet Private Nature Reserve Facebook Page latest post, the Crown on the Queen of Hills, Mussoorie had grabbed attention from home and abroad. Students from Indian Universities and abroad used to get a first hand experience of a well-kept park. A ragging inferno has within hours reduced Uttarakhand’s one and only private nature reserve, known as the Jabarkhet Nature Reserve to ashes.
Spread over 110 acres Jabarkhet Nature Reserve, is the first of its kind in the hill-state. The park boasted of over half a dozen 3 kms well-marked hiking trails, guided nature walks. Bird watching along trails; water holes; pocket field nature guides of the flora and fauna were just a of its attractions. It welcomed the adventurous, becoming an instant hit with those who came to this treasure trove of nature, the only one left in the otherwise concrete forest that Mussoorie has now become.
“We will assess the damage and work hard towards the recovery of the forest and wildlife that we love… And pray for rain!! The post signed off. Instantly, hands of friendship have been offered from local communities and well-wishers.
Almost 15 weeks down the road and almost 4202.036 hectares of Uttarakhand’s green cover has been turned into ashes. The real enemy of Uttarakhand’s flora and fauna for now is not poachers or shikaris looking for an easy kill, but it’s the all-engulfing flames. Only the Rain God has the power to quench this thirst. Man’s efforts seem puny when the hungry tongues of fire lick up every single twig along their path. And in this instance, the Jaberkhet Nature Reserve.
