TOO MANY RHINOS CROWD KAZIRANGA NATIONAL PARK

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http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/msid-1347290,curpg-2.cms

Rhinos in Kaziranga: A problem of plenty

Surojit Mahalanobis

[ Tuesday, December 27, 2005 12:53:33 amTIMES NEWS NETWORK ]

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NEW DELHI: In a world where big beasts that once roamed the wild are

fast disappearing, there is one spot grappling with a problem of

plenty and that's not necessarily good news. Kaziranga National Park

in Assam is known across the globe for its great one-horned

rhinoceros.

 

But the ever increasing population of the largest of the three Asian

rhinos has become a cause of concern for World Wildlife Fund (WWF),

government agencies and conservationists. The danger is from two

quarters.

 

First, the restriction of about 85% of 2,000 rhinos in India to

Kaziranga, which does not have enough space, exposes the species to

stochastic risks, which are a series of dangers brought on by

overcrowding. Secondly, living cheek-by-jowl, something that nature

didn't ordain, exposes the animals to epidemics.

 

Experts say any viral infection could spread quickly causing mass

deaths. As WWF officer in-charge of Asian Rhino and Elephants Action

Strategy (AREAS) Tariq Aziz says, " One viral attack may kill all

animals in Kaziranga within a few days. "

 

 

 

....

The safest alternative would be to shift and reallocate them to areas

where they grew in numbers but were eliminated by poachers.

 

In an effort to conserve the rhino, the WWF with the help of

government and non-government agencies has laun- ched a fund-raising

drive to help " Indian Rhino Vision 2020 " of Assam government to attain

the animal's population to 3,000 by distributing them in seven

protected areas.

 

Besides Kaziranga, other six protected areas are: Manas, Laokhowa,

Buracharpori, Kochmora, Dibrusaikhowa and Orang. The basic aim is to

translocate rhinos from two highly populated parks Kaziranga and

Pabitro to these areas. As an initial step about 30 rhinos will be

shifted to Manas National Park from Kaziranga and Pabitro parks.

 

A few could also be shifted to Dudhwa National Park in Uttar Pradesh.

The mission also aims at strengthening security in all rhino areas in

Assam. And reduce population in two parks Kaziranga and Pabitro so

that it is within ecological and sociological carrying capacity of the

reserve.

 

The sociological carrying capacity is the number of the rhinos that a

protected area can sustain without significant human-rhino conflict.