(IN) Assam's Rhinos continue to face threat

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Assam Government bows down to Public Outrages

Guwahati, Sun, 4 May 2008 Nava Thakuria

 

 

Finally Assam government has bowed down to the growing public outrages.

Following intense public pressure, the province government of Northeast

India, has favoured for a CBI probe into the cases of rhino poaching at

different preserves in the state. The state chief minister Tarun Gogoi on

May 2 declared that following demands from various socio-environment

organisations, the government has decided to go for a Central Bureau of

Investigation inquiry into the killing of over 30 rhinos in Assam since

January 2007.

The civil societies and the advocacy groups of the region had rigorously

raised voices against the slaughtering of endangered one horn rhinos by

poachers since the early part of 2008. But surprisingly enough, the

concerned authority and the state government preferred to overlook the

public resentment. For more than three months, the wildlife lovers have

strongly condemned the authority of Kaziranga National Park (KNP), which had

witnessed the loss of 26 rhinos to poachers since January 2007. But neither

the authority nor the government had shown the moral courage to admit their

incompetence in protecting the inmates of the celebrated park.

 

The last week of April witnessed the slaughtering of two more rhinos in

Kaziranga. The forest guards discovered the bodies of the rhinos, one of

them was a calf, inside the park, but the horns were already chopped off.

Even the tigers feasted half of the bodies of the rhino calf, when the

forest guards witnessed them. It has added the list of rhinos, fallen prey

to poachers at KNP, up to six in this year.

 

Recognised as a safe heaven for the rhinos, Kaziranga gives shelter to

almost two-thirds of the total population of one-horned rhinos on Earth. A

1984 census showed that Kaziranga, which was declared a National Park in

1974, had 1,080 rhinos. The toll increased during 1975 to 1990, nearly 25

per year. The statistics showed that rhino population was found 1069 in

another census during 1991. The census in 1999 provided more optimistic

result as the number of rhinos soared to 1,552. The last census in 2006

revealed the number of rhinos in the park at 1,855.

 

The rhino horn enjoys great demand in international market as it is

considered to contain aphrodisiac qualities. The heavy animal enjoys great

sexual power, as its mating time is not less than 45 minutes (quite higher

than any other animal). Many people believe that one can achieve the sexual

power with the help of rhino horns. They consider the rhino horns as another

kind of traditional viagra. The horns are also believed to have medicinal

values. The traditional Chinese medicine demands rhino horns, which is

believed to cure fever and stomach ailments fast. China, Taiwan, Thailand,

South Korea and the Middle East are known to be huge markets for illegal

trading of rhino horns. It fetches a few thousand US dollars per kilogram of

horn in the international market.

 

The park director Suren Buragohain remained clueless at the increasing

incidents of poaching of rhinos and only parroted his earlier version, " The

poachers are equipped with sophisticated weapons. But our forest guards lack

the proper arms to counter them. " However, Mr. Buragohain has earned

brickbats from wildlife advocates as the recent increase in rhino poaching

has occurred during his tenure. Statistics reveal that during his term of

around a year, Kaziranga lost the highest number of rhinos in a decade.

 

If the director was oblivious to the grave threats to rhino poaching in

Kaziranga, the Assam forest minister showed equally insensitive and callous

approach to the issue. All the time, the young minister in Tarun Gogoi's

state cabinet, preferred to ignore the matter. It finally compelled the

students union, environmental activists, journalists' organisations and

political leaders to adopt the path of demonstration against the minister.

 

It started with Nature's Beckon, an active environment NGO of the region,

which staged a protest rally on October 1 last year against the authority

for its failure to manage the forest and wildlife of Assam. The concern for

the rhinos was visible in media through the editorials and the letters to

the editor columns. Concerned ordinary citizens and the opposition political

parties also expressed their deep anguish against the continued poaching of

rhinos in Assam, particularly in Kaziranga.

 

Soon the activists belonged to All Assam Students Union (AASU), an

influential students body of Northeast, staged demonstrations throughout

Assam on February 2, protesting against the authority's failure to protect

the rhinos. The venues included the offices of the forest departments in all

parts of Assam. The AASU advisor Samujjal Bhattacharya, an aggressive

student leader, demanded the resignation of Rockybul Hussain, the forest

minister of Assam 'for failing to take adequate steps to stop this heinous

crime against a national treasure'.

 

Lately, the AASU activists organised a citizens' meet at Kohora near the

Kaziranga Park, to hammer on the authority on its failure to protect the

rhinos. The daylong meet on February 24, which was attended by various

pressure groups, resolved to emphasize on a high level probe to catch the

real perpetrators behind rhino poaching.

 

Various speakers in the crowded meeting, which was inaugurated by an eminent

Assamese author Arup Kumar Dutta with the children novel 'The Kaziranga

Trail' fame, highlighted the demand for a special task force, equipped with

modern weapons for protection of flora and fauna, an annual census of rhinos

and a citizen monitoring committee involving the indigenous people to keep

an eye on the wildlife. The state forest minister was accused of

non-performance by most of the speakers and the chief minister of Assam,

Tarun Gogoi was also targeted by them for his lingering silence on the issue

only to safeguard his ministerial college.

 

Shocking revelation is however made by the director of Nature's Beckon.

Talking to this writer, Soumyadeep Datta claimed that the forest department

of Assam was itself involved with the illegal trade of rhino horns. " We have

authentic information that Assam forest department had sold more than 300

rhino horns even after India adopted the wildlife protection act in 1972. We

can give the relevant statistics of the sold rhino horns in details as 29

(during 1971-72), 13 (1972-73), 19 (1973-74), 40 (1974-75), 18 (1975-76), 27

(1976-78), 42 (1977-78), 63 (1978-79), 63 (1978-79), 61 (1979-80), " Mr Datta

revealed.

 

In fact, the young activist came out with such an apprehension more than two

months back. Addressing the media persons at Guwahati press club on February

4, Mr Datta commented, " We suspect that a large share of the wildlife parts,

which are being sold in the international markets, made way from the forest

department's stock due to the manipulation and corrupt practices of some

dishonest forest officials. "

 

So we want to a probe (preferably by Central Bureau of Investigation) on the

stock of animal parts in the custody of Assam forest department, as it is

assumed that some precious parts of rhinos, elephants, tigers and leopards

had gone for international markets from the official stock of the

department, Mr Datta insisted.

 

In India, poaching is a punishable offence with up to seven years'

imprisonment. India has been a member to the Convention on International

Trade in Endangered Species since 1976 and hence, in principle at least, is

bound by all its efforts to eliminate International trade in wildlife and

wildlife parts, he added.

 

As the controversy gained momentum, one rhino was slaughtered at Kaziranga

on February 5, which created a huge public uproar throughout the region.

Under pressure, the forest minister Mr Hussain rushed to Kaziranga and

ordered to deploy additional 100 armed guards in the park. Compelled by the

situation, the minister even disclosed that he had no reservation against a

CBI enquiry into the entire issue of poaching at the National parks of

Assam.

 

The demand for a CBI probe into the killings of rhinos was also highlighted

during a Nagorik Sobha (citizens' meet), which was organized by a local

journalist group. The Journalists' Forum, Assam, during its meeting on

February 13 urged the state chief minister 'to break his silence on the

issue and let the people know his government's stand and the steps he has

taken, if any, to stop the menace'. In one of its resolutions, the meeting

asserted that the incumbent forest minister had miserably failed to protect

the rhinos and prevent their poaching and hence no longer he remained 'fit

for the job'.

 

The concern for the rhinos was also expressed by a group of non-resident

Assamese (Indian), who joined the chorus to save the rhinos. The Friends of

Assam & Seven Sisters (FASS), in a recent statement, supported the demand

for a credible and high level enquiry into the ongoing killings of the

precious animals.

 

" We think volumes have been written and spoken about the ineffectiveness of

the present measures to protect the rhinos in KNP and other sites. Now it is

time to act. We urge for an immediate CBI investigation into the ongoing

killings of rhinos, and take disciplinary actions against the officials and

individuals responsible for the lack of protective actions, " commented Rajen

Barua, CMD of FASS stated. Speaking to this writer from New York, Mr Barua

added, " Since the state government has failed miserably in its duties, the

administration of the KNP should immediately be placed under military rule

for the time being with strict orders to treat the poachers as terrorists.

More over, a citizen's vigilance committee should be formed to monitor the

situation on a regular basis in the national parks. "

 

Concerned ordinary citizens, political party members, and media in general

have all expressed their deep anguish against the continued slaughtering of

rhinos in Assam, particularly at Kaziranga. The newspaper readers and

television viewers had a shocking experience in January when they were

exposed to visuals of a wounded rhino at Kaziranga. A mother rhino, which

had already lost her baby to poachers for its horn, was shown falling victim

to poachers. The poachers cut her horn when she was alive. For the next two

days the rhino suffered with severe wounds on the mouth and finally she

succumbed to injuries.

 

But even after the escalating public resentments, the state government

remained silent on the issue for all the time. The chief minister, Mr Gogoi,

who is otherwise outspoken, avoided the issue while talking to media

persons. The state forest minister also continued to cover up his face. But

finally the public censure has won the battle, as the Assam government had

bowed down. There was however wild allegations that the Congress led

government always put a deaf ear to the public grievances. But in respect of

rising incidents of rhino poaching and public protests in Assam, the

government found it in a difficult position to ignore the public furies for

longer period and finally goes with the people's mandate.