TURA: Union minister for women and child development Maneka Gandhi, who is also an animal rights activist, has raised alarm bells over rampant poaching taking place for the last couple of years in Meghalaya, particularly in the Garo Hills region, resulting in the killing of as many as 11 highly-endangered Hoolock Gibbon apes in just one year.
She has written to Meghalaya’s new Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma asking his government to take urgent steps to put an end to rampant poaching taking place in the forests that is pushing wild animals, including the highly-endangered ape species the Western Hoolock Gibbon, to the brink of extinction.
“Meghalaya has rampant poaching. Most wild animals and birds are endangered because of unchecked poaching. You have the Western Hoolock Gibbon which is the only Great Ape in India. It is now less than 1000 in number as they are killed and eaten or sold as pets with many taken to China,” a worried Gandhi stated in a letter to the chief minister dispatched on Friday.
The Union minister is a founder member of the animal protection group People for Animals (PFA).
She revealed that last year alone witnessed the killings of as many as 11 Hoolock Gibbons in the Garo Hills.
“Most died as pets, 3 were taken to be eaten and the rest were mishandled by the forest department and died during the release,” she wrote.
Charging the forest department of being highly inactive, she said that many forest officials were in league with people engaged in felling trees illegally.
She accused successive governments of paying little heed to the working of the forest department leading to the current crisis.
“The state has some 800 forest guards and foresters. Where are they? Not in the forests, not in the villages. Most are either in the state capital or sitting in their own homes getting a salary,” alleged the Union minister as she doled out disturbing statistics about the deplorable strength of deployment of forest guards in the three most important parks of the state.
“There are barely 20 of them in Nongkyllem wildlife sanctuary (Khasi Hills), 14 in Nokrek National Biosphere and only 20 for Balpakram National Park (both in Garo Hills),” Gandhi pointed out.
The Union minister took a swipe at the state for failing to set up rescue centres and deploying skilled people to deal with poachers. “There is no coordination between the police and the forest department and there is no skill training for rangers even in tranquilizing animals,” she asserted.
According to Gandhi, Meghalaya was losing out on wildlife tourism due to its failure to check the poaching menace.
“Meghalaya can benefit from tourism and from people who are wildlife enthusiasts. More than 50 per cent of Rajasthan’s tourism comes from its wildlife parks,” said the Union minister while expressing her willingness to dispatch trained NGOs to organise workshops with the local rangers and guards while at the same time calling for those not out on the field to be penalised.
She has also suggested that the state coordinate with French national Florian Magne and his NGO Huro Program-Meghalaya for setting up rescue centres and training forest officials.
According to Gandhi, the Huro Program, currently being run by Magne’s NGO, is being mentored by former Union minister of state and new South Tura MLA Agatha K Sangma.
