Assam has announced the passage of the country’s strongest penalties for killing rhinos, elephants, and tigers. Assam received permission from India’s federal government to amend the 1972 Wildlife Protection Act and can now sentence poachers to ten years in prison.
Throughout the rest of India, the Act provides for three to seven years in prison for poaching. The state has also increased fines for killing the three iconic species. Poachers in Assam now face financial penalties that are five times higher than anywhere else in the country: 50,000 rupees (USD $1,125).
Assam forest minister Rockybul Hussain said that his team is extremely serious about combating illegal wildlife trade.
" We mean business in getting at poaching gangs."
Mr. Hussain added that the state is also creating a Forest Protection Force, which will be trained by police and armed with modern weaponry.
The new legislation was passed in response to the killing of at least nine greater one-horned rhinos (Rhinoceros unicornis) in Assam’s Kaziranga National Park. The Park is home to approximately 2,048 of the world’s 2,850 or so greater one-horned rhinos, making it the world’s largest concentration of this species.
Earlier this year, 250 forest guards received training in commando operations by Assam’s elite National Security Guard (NSG), including use of sophisticated weaponry and martial arts.
Rhino poaching gangs
Rhino poaching gangs operating in Orang and Kaziranga National Parks are usually from the notorious illegal wildlife trading hub of Dimapur, Nagaland. They are often from the Karbi Anglong area as well.
No medicinal value in rhino horn
Today, the consumer markets for illegal rhino horn are concentrated in China and Vietnam, where rhino horn is still considered a key ingredient in traditional medicines.
However, the notion of rhino horn’s “healing properties” is nothing more than a persistent cultural myth. Rhino horn has been extensively analyzed and the truth is that is has no medicinal value whatsoever.
Recently, Forest guards in Assam’s Kaziranga National Park managed to shoot and kill two rhino poachers during a gun battle inside the Agaratoli range of the Park.
A blood-stained rhino horn was also recovered from one of the poacher’s bags, along with a .303 rifle, a .22 pistol, ammunition, and foodstuffs. Authorities believe that the rhino was killed Monday night or Tuesday morning, although the carcass has not yet been located.
According to The Telegraph, Kaziranga forest guards intensified patrolling activities after receiving information that a gang of rhino poachers had entered the Park. The guards came upon four rhino poachers early Tuesday morning, who fired on the guards when asked to surrender.
" We came almost face to face with them early this morning. And when we asked them to surrender they challenged us by opening fire. One of my colleagues had a narrow escape when a bullet fired by them zipped passed his ears."
The rhino killers and forest guards exchanged nearly 14 rounds.
Last month, ten rhino killers surrendered to authorities in Assam.
Difficulties in controlling the poaching
- Floods which create havoc for animals as well as for the forest guards to keep vigil. Flood causes many animals to migrate outside the park where they are susceptible to hunting . However with the help of the Indian Army removal of water hyacinth and close collaboration with other civil departments are some of the measures taken. But absence of adequate high grounds within the park as places of refuge for the animals during high floods adds to mismanagement on the part of the park authorities.
- The 54 km length of the NH-37 runs almost parallel to the southern boundary of Kaziranga National Park between Bokakhat and Ghorakati. During the monsoon the area inside the park gets flooded and the wild animals cross this highway to move towards the elevated Karbi Anglong hills. In this process many animals are killed by fast and heavy vehicular traffic moving on it almost round the clock.In spite of construction of several corridors and other steps including construction of road signage, terrain easements, rumble strips, road awareness campaigns, intensive night patrolling and regulation of vehicular traffic to mitigate the number of death of wildlife does not seems to be foolproof and effective.
- There is a lack of trained staffs in the park and as of 2005, 127 of the 592 sanctioned posts lay vacant Moreover since the area of the park has almost doubled (through additions) the staff strength would need to be further increased to undertake anti-poaching measures, conservation of wildlife and other allied activities.The park also faces shortage of funds for developmental works.
- About 184 villages and 4 tea gardens are situated within the influence area of the park; as a result of the acute poverty present among its residence, the villages often enter the park for illegal fishing and for firewood. Threat from overgrazing by the domestic livestock is ever present. During the dry season there is an acute shortage of fodder and the villages often push their livestock into the park for fodder which affects the amount of food available to the huge number of herbivorous animal living in the park. Such infiltration of domestic cattle increases the risk of spread of diseases among the wild animals as most of the cattle are not properly immunized. There is also a risk of losing genetic distinctness among the wild buffaloes due to entry of domestic buffaloes.Indiscriminate use of pesticides in the tea gardens close to the park boundaries also pose a threat through pesticide run-off. The tea gardens are also considered to be a source of invasive species like Mimosa and Wildrose.
After all its we the people should understand the value of wildlife, because if we try - can make some difference. Paper work can be done by anyone & at anytime , but its the implementation that lacks behind.
Educate to Eradicate .. Be a responsible citizen towards the society. A country progresses only by the people, for the people & of the people.
- Data Source : Anonymous
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