(IN): Save the Rhino: an Assam Tribune editorial

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Link: http://www.assamtribune.com/scripts/details.asp?id=dec1807\edit

 

*MESSAGE FOR TODAY

There is no art which one government sooner learns of another than that of

draining money from the pockets of the people.

— ADAM SMITH

 

Save the rhino* *T*he spurt in rhino poaching in Kaziranga National Park –

which boasts of the world's largest one-horned rhino population -- is a

matter of serious concern. As many as 18 rhinos of the famed park have

fallen to poachers' bullets so far this year. Given the vulnerability of the

rhino as an endangered species and Kaziranga's status as the most secure of

all protected areas of the State, the killing of so many rhinos within a

year is fraught with ominous portents. While Kaziranga has undoubtedly been

a saga of conservation success completing a glorious century a couple of

years back, the recent spurt in poaching has laid bare the glaring loopholes

in the park's security mechanism. Poaching, which is part of the thriving

international racket of illegal trade in wildlife, has become a much

sophisticated affair these days. The spurt in poaching cases in a supposedly

well-protected forest like Kaziranga bears testimony to this grim reality.

Then, the way the tiger is being pushed to the brink throughout the country

should leave no one in any doubt about the striking power of organised

poaching. Under the circumstances, revamping the security of Kaziranga is an

urgent need. While strengthening manpower is imperative for ensuring

round-the-clock vigil, this alone is no guarantee against poaching.

Augmenting the existing intelligence network to make it effective would be

critical to the success of the fight against poachers. Poaching has been the

biggest threat for the State's rhino population, thanks to the great demand

of rhino horn in South Asian countries for its wrongly-perceived medicinal

and aphrodisiac attributes. The State has few rhino habitats, and the rhino

population of Manas National Park and Laokhowa Wildlife Sanctuary was

completely decimated in the 1990s and the mid-1980s respectively. While the

rhino population in Kaziranga and Pobitora has increased in recent years, a

number of concerns remain which need serious attention of the Forest

Department and the Government. Poaching apart, the foremost concern is that

over 90 per cent of the rhino population is restricted to Kaziranga and

Pobitora. The concentration of such a big number within these two protected

areas exposes the rhinos to grave stochastic risks. The recently-undertaken

rhino translocation initiative involving transfer of rhinos from Kaziranga

and Pobitora to Manas, Laokhowa and Dibru-Saikhowa is critical to

maintaining the ecological and sociological carrying capacity of the

protected areas for rhinos. The ominous signs of food scarcity, human-animal

conflict and in-breeding among the rhinos are already palpable in Pobitora.

The ambitious translocation programme, however, is unlikely to succeed

unless the security and infrastructure in Manas, Laokhowa and Dibru-Saikhowa

are made foolproof.

 

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United against elephant polo

http://www.freewebs.com/elephantpolo