(IN): People’s help sought to save rhinos

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Link: http://www.assamtribune.com/scripts/details.asp?id=feb2508/at010

 

People's help sought to save rhinos

GUWAHATI, Feb 24 — Alarmed by the killing of at least 22 rhinos last year

and four this year by poachers, the Assam Forest Department has decided to

seek people's help to save the pachyderm.

 

Owners of restaurants, resorts, dhabas, tea garden authorities and villagers

have been roped in to save the endangered one-horned rhino at the Kaziranga

National Park. The Forest department held a series of meetings with

restaurant and resort owners near the National Park, a World Heritage site.

 

They were also told that it was their fundamental duty under Article 51A of

the Constitution to protect wildlife, a forest official said.

 

" The department feels that the owners should be aware of the identity of the

customers because there is a possibility of poachers planning their

activities in such places, " Chief Conservator of Forest Bishen Singh Bonal

said.

 

Bonal, who was deputed to the park for making an on-the-spot assessment,

said: " The forest department alone cannot fully protect the animals... there

should be a joint effort from all concerned to save the animals. "

 

There are nearly 90 dhabas, restaurants and resorts on the 40-km stretch

from Bokakhat to Burapahar along the national highway running adjacent to

the park.

 

A series of meetings were held early this month with neighbouring tea garden

authorities for ensuring their cooperation, the forest official said.

 

" In most occasions it is seen that the animals are targeted when they

venture out of the park into tea garden areas where there is no security and

hence the need to educate the garden authorities, " he said.

 

On animals crossing the national highway and entering the neighbouring hill

district of Karbi Anglong where they fell prey to poachers, Bonal said his

department would highlight the need to declare the nearly 70 sq km stretch

in the district a protected area.

 

The department had also stressed setting up police outposts in Rongbong and

Dholerwaran areas which would help in countering poachers, most of whom

entered the park area through the Karbi Anglong corridor, he said.

 

Bonal said apart from these steps, talks were also held with villagers and

headmen to socially boycott any person having links with poaching and

poachers.

 

" We have received overwhelming support with the people agreeing in one voice

to socially ostracise anybody involved in poaching, " he said.

 

The Forest Department decided to adopt the pro-active measures after drawing

flak from various quarters for large- scale poaching of the one-horned

rhinos in the national park. – PTI

 

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