Where forest meets home: UP’s first predator-proof cluster secures lives in Katarniaghat Fringe
Bahraich: For residents of Lohra village, the forest begins almost where their homes end. Nestled along the fringes of Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary in the upper Gangetic plains of Bahraich district, the village has always shared its boundaries with one of the state’s richest wildlife habitats. Tigers, leopards and other wild animals move through the neighbouring sal forests.
For decades, that coexistence meant constant vigilance. Even routine tasks could become dangerous after sunset. Families planned their evenings around the possibility of wildlife movement, while children were called indoors before darkness.
Today, an unusual structure rising from the forest edge is changing that equation. Lohra is now home to Uttar Pradesh’s first predator-proof housing cluster — an innovative, community-based safety model designed to protect people living close to large carnivores.
More than a physical barrier, the facility represents a new approach to human-wildlife coexistence that seeks to make villages safer without disrupting the natural movement of wildlife.
At first glance, the cluster appears simple. Six houses stand together inside a common secured enclosure. Yet every aspect has been planned around a single goal: keeping residents safe from accidental encounters with predators.
The protective boundary stretches for nearly 160 metres around the cluster. Constructed using locally available bamboo poles and reinforced PVC chain mesh, the fence rises approximately 12 to 15 feet high.
The choice of materials is one of its strengths — affordable, readily available and easy to maintain, making the model replicable in other forest fringe villages.
A centrally connected hooter alarm system provides another layer of protection. Residents of any house within the cluster can activate the alarm to immediately alert neighbours in case of a perceived threat.
The greatest impact, however, is seen not in the walls themselves but in how daily life has changed. As darkness falls, the compound remains lit. Families move about with greater confidence. Children continue playing within the enclosed space, while women complete household chores without constant anxiety.
For Lohra, the facility provides something residents have rarely enjoyed: peace of mind.
