An uphill task for Kaziranga guards

For the authorities in the Kaziranga National Park, the monsoon is a trying time.

For the authorities in the Kaziranga National Park, the monsoon is a trying time. Almost every year, the mighty Brahmaputra which flows right through the 1,000-sq km national park, also a World Heritage Site, inundates its banks forcing wild animals to relocate to higher grounds. This year too is no exception. On Monday, the water of the river Brahmaputra entered the national park and inundated almost 60 per cent of its area.

Wild animals, including rhinos, whose population currently stands at over 1,600, have begun moving to the hills in Karbi Anglong district across National Highway 37. With several gangs of poachers on the prowl, the authorities are taking no chances. Ten rhinos have already been killed in the current year.

The animals also run a risk of getting killed by speeding vehicles. The national park currently has only about 350 forest guards and the Assam Government is still struggling to fill up over 100 vacancies. Last month, the state Government dispatched two companies of armed home guards to fill up the gaps.

8220;Guarding the animals as they cross the the busy highway to Karbi Anglong hills is a challenging task. Though animals have fixed natural corridors, they take any route during floods,8221; said Bankim Sarma, Divisional Forest Officer DFO, Kaziranga.

Policemen and wildlife guards are patrolling the 30-km stretch of national highway round the clock in order to ensure that speeding vehicles, especially buses and trucks that ply during night, do not knock the animals down.

8220;We also get a lot of vital support from NGOs, whose volunteers work round the clock with our guards to ensure safe crossing of the animals to the highlands across the national highway,8221; Sarma added.

In order to save the animals, authorities have also roped in villagers from the neighbouring villages and the effort has paid off. It was only last week that residents of Difloopathar Ahomgaon apprehended a poacher and handed him over to the police.

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Drowning, often results in the death of wild animals. 8220;One rhino, three hog deer, three wild boars, and one swamp deer have died due to drowning in the past five days,8221; the official informed.

Loss of natural habitat often results in man-animal conflict. A rhino that strayed into Negheriting attacked and injured two people. The authorities are yet to guide the two rhinos back into Kaziranga.