The Real Wildlifer ( The Profile of a dedicated Forest Officer )

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Link: http://www.assamtribune.com/horizon.html

 

The real wildlifer: By Jayanta Das

 

Ranjan Kumar Das, a divisional forest officer posted in the Social

Forestry Division, Sivasagar is one of the few foresters of Assam who

can be termed as `wildlifers'.

His maiden book on his experiences with wildlife — Kaziranga, Leaves

from a Forester's Notebook, published by Spectrum Publications,

Guwahati — went to the Frankfurt Book Fair in Germany last year and

his famed pictures of a tigress attacking a mahout in Kaziranga

National Park created ripples in the world and made headlines in

European, Australian and American newspapers. This big cat attack

episode was also covered by the monthly National Geographic (US

Edition, November, 2005 issue) and a full page was devoted to the

pictures and the story under the caption `A Mother's Fury'. Besides,

as disclosed in the Rights Catalogue of the Frankfurt Book Fair, the

pictures have been sought for by various newspapers/magazines which

include The Sunday Times, The Sunday Mirror, The Mail on Sunday, The

Daily Mail from UK, The Stern/View Magazine, Germany, The Expressen

newspaper, Sweden; The Advertiser, Adelaide; The Herald Sun,

Melbourne; The Daily Telegraph, Sydney; The Courier Mail, Brisbane and

Zoo Magazine, all from Australia; The VG newspaper, Norway; The Eksta

Bladet newspaper, Denmark; The Paris Match and the Choc Magazine in

France and The Gruner and the Heat in Italy.

 

With a brilliant academic career behind him, he joined the Forest

department of Assam as a ranger in 1982. With various awards and

milestones he has come a long way as a forester and he had served the

Kaziranga National Park while he had been the DFO of the Eastern Assam

Wildlife Division, Bokakhat in 2003-04. He underwent a total training

period of five years in forestry and allied subjects including a

post-graduation course in wildlife management from the Wildlife

Institute of India. He was awarded the gold medal of the chairman,

West Bengal Forest Development Corporation during 1982-84 and the EP

Gee Award during 1984-86 and was adjudged the best student on the

subject of wildlife management. He was awarded the prestigious Kailash

Sankhala National Fellowship by the Ministry of Environment and

Forests, Government of India in 2000. He was instrumental in

confirming a population of endangered white winged duck in Nameri

during 1995 and got the scientific report published from the

Threatened Wildfowl Research Group, UK. He studied the rhino

reintroduction project in Dudhwa National Park during 1990. He has

also written extensively on wildlife in leading regional newspapers

and magazines. He was adjudged the best photographer during the

Wildlife Week in 1984 and has videographed several documentary films

on Kaziranga which are being released.

 

In an interview he reveals his thoughts, feelings and the future plans

concerning his job as a forester and wildlifer.

 

Excerpts:

 

On the pleasures and pains of a forest officer.

There is no question of any boredom or pain. I always find a kind of

thrill working for the wildlife and an undiscovered force within me

gives me inexhaustible energy to work for wildlife. The world of the

wildlife is a fascinating one that always attracts me. It pains me, of

course, when I see them neglected and when I fail to be instrumental

in saving them.

 

On the challenges he faced in the KNP.

In the KNP the greatest challenge was poaching, especially of rhino. I

can possibly legitimately claim that while in the KNP, I was one among

the group that was instrumental in bringing down the number of

poaching cases. We could nab an international gang of poachers

including Kumar Singh Lohar, the companions of RK Agarwalla of

Siliguri, Maya Devi and Ganesh Gurung of Balipara. That is why from a

total of 88 numbers of poaching a decade ago, it came down to zero in

2003-04. There is the challenge of the protection of the other

wildlife also besides working for staff welfare.

 

On the efficacy of the existing wildlife conservation laws.

The existing sets of wildlife conservation laws are effective. In the

latest set of laws relating to wildlife conservation some offences

have been made non-bailable and provision has been made for

confiscation of properties of the criminals that becomes a state

property. To make any law effective, however, the realization of the

common masses relating to the importance of the concerned subject is

the utmost essential thing. I would like to mention here that I wrote

a few articles on framing wild life protection measures in The

Sentinel a few years ago which were appreciated by even high level

police officers of Assam.

 

On the Kaziranga Elephant Festival.

These festivals have been, still are, and I hope will always be,

helpful towards creating awareness for wildlife conservation, besides

boosting tourism avenues. But at the same time some more concrete,

pragmatic steps can be adopted for mitigating man-animal conflicts and

in this regard, the forest officials should take the lead. The

festival should also concentrate on honouring the dedicated forest

officials of the KNP who have made rhino numbers rise from 12 to 1800.

 

On elephant depredations in the neighbouring areas.

Depredations by elephants in the neighbouring areas of the KNP are not

only the KNP elephants, but mostly by elephants coming from the Karbi

Anglong hills which come down in search of food due to the shrinkage

of their habitats. Process is in with the government level to combat

the menace. The KNP elephants do not generally do harm to life and

property to that extent as these elephants do. We can devise some

pragmatic ways to face the situation like growing repellent crops,

rearing beehives etc. The PSUs like the NRL, OIL, ONGC, etc can join

hands to empower the forest department by financial support, etc to

face depredations out of their social commitment and environmental

obligation.

 

On the awards/honours/acknowledgements received.

Any award/honour/recognition makes you feel good and motivates you to

work further and get stick to what you are doing, albeit with a

greater level of dedication. I too feel good that at least some

recognition has come as a byproduct of my humble efforts. I only hope

that my efforts would be of some help towards the greater cause of

forestry and wildlife.

 

On future plans.

In the near future I wish to do something for the forest workers of

the KNP who have worked relentlessly for the safekeeping of the great

biodiversity of the park. I wish to make a cinema on these KNP workers

as green warriors highlighting their contribution and self-abnegation.

 

Jayanta Das