GUWAHATI: With the objective of ‘reaching out to the unreached’ in the interest of protection of stray animals of Kaziranga National Park (KNP), a small but committed team of conservation workers from Aaranyak supported by David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation (DSWF) and have set out on a five-day mission to hold awareness programmes among dwellers of isles (chaporis) of Brahmaputra River that flanks the northern boundary of the core of the national park.
As the winter sets in numerous animals from Kaziranga Park including rhinos stray onto isles dotting the course of the mighty river and thereby exposed themselves to various threats including poaching.
The forest department doesn’t have sufficient manpower to protest the animals that stray out of the National Park’s protection zone. Here come the dwellers of these river isles into the picture. Sans the cooperation of these people, it won’t be possible to keep a vigil on these precious animals that stray out of the park.
Realising this ground reality about the importance of these river island people, Aaranyak, a biodiversity conservation organisation based in Guwahati, in collaboration with the Forest Department of Assam has chalked out a programme to reach out to these to convert them important stakeholders in the effort for protection of these animals visiting river isles during winter.
Equipped with a motor boat provided by the KNP authority which also provided four armed forest guards, the Aaranyak team comprising conservationists Arif Hussain and Uttam Saikia and four volunteers set sail on December 25, the Christmas Day, to execute the plan of holding awareness programmes among river isle populace.
It is tough to reach out to those secluded river isles especially when the river channel dries up in the winter making it difficult to boat along. The team has to walk miles to reach those hamlets carrying the generator set and other equipment along with them.
“We are planning to cover as much river isles as possible till December 29 as it is not possible to hold such a campaign in these remote isles every year. But cooperation of these people are very important for well-being of Kaziranga animals,” Arif Hussain told over phone from Misamara char on Thursday morning.
“We have so far organized three awareness camps at Gitung and Misamara river isles. We are using attractive audio-visual mode to sensitise these villagers about the importance of various animals species and the role they are expected to play to protect them when these animals stray onto their isles,” conservation worker and honorary wildlife warden of KNP, Uttam Saikia said.
Saikia informed that the aerial distance of Misamara isle where the Aaranyak team is on Thursday, is about 50 kilometers from central Kohora Range of Kaziranga National Park.
“This has been a first-time experience of villagers attending such awareness camps on conservation of animal species. We also hold an attractive audio-visual quiz session among villagers after the presentation to create awareness on conservation. Persons from all ages have attended these programmes and their response has been outstanding,” he added.
The team of Aaranyak through interaction with rive isle villagers have also tried to collect information about stray animals, set up contacts among the villagers for future networking.
“We are also gathering information on socio-economic status of the rive isle dwellers so that the data collected may become handy in future to take up conservation related welfare/livelihood programme for these villagers,” the Aaranyak conservationists said.