Poaching: A lurking fear at Kaziranga National Park, Assam

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The Sentinel, Guwahati. Wednesday 5 October, 2005

Link: www.sentinelassam.com

 

Poaching: A lurking fear at KNP

 

From our Correspondent

JORHAT, Oct 4: The fear of poaching always lurks in the Kaziranga

National Park, the abode of the one-horned rhinoceros. In the recent

months, as many as five rhinos fell to the poachers. A well-

organized circuit of poachers was always active in the area, ready

to act if there was the slightest leniency on the part of the forest

guards, a well-placed source told The Sentinel. " These unscrupulous

operatives will swing into action immediately if patrolling in the

park is slackened even for a couple of days, " the source said.

 

However, an intensive anti-poaching mechanism is firmly in place in

the centenary park. The rhino horn is a valued commodity in the

international market, mainly in China and Japan. " However, that is

beside the point. The main issue here is that an rare animal like

the one-horned rhino cannot be allowed to be killed to satisfy human

greed, " the sources said.

 

Apart from poaching, the other major concerns of the KNP authorities

are the annual multi-wave cycle of floods, erosion and degradation

of animal habitats owing to natural and man-made causes, and the

killing of wildlife by the vehicles speeding through the National

Highway-37 which cuts across the park.

 

An official emphasized that the KNP played a vital role in

preserving the ecosystem of the region and added that numerous water

bodies absorbed a lot of rain water, thereby acting as a natural

sponge.

 

In addition, the park harbours 39 species of mammals, 478 species of

birds, 500 species of plants and many varieties of fish, reptile and

insect. The current population of rhinos stands at approximately

1,700.