By Bijay Sankar Bora
GUWAHATI: Kaziranga National Park (KNP) authority has launched a massive pre-flood mass awareness campaign in fringe areas of the UNESCO World Heritage Site in coordination with a group of select NGOs working for conservation of animal species and ecology of Kaziranga landscape.
The KNP remains in global spotlight especially because of its treasure trove termed Big Fives – one-horned rhino, tiger, elephant, Asiatic buffalo and samber deer – besides other animals, avian and aquatic species.
The forest and wildlife protection staff in Kaziranga National Park (KNP) face an uphill task during the flood in every summer season in protecting the animals, which are driven out of the safety of the core park area by fury of flood.
But for the cooperation of the fringe villagers, it becomes a very difficult task to protect these park animals forced out of the sanctuary. There have been instances when hunters taking advantage of the situation killed one-horned rhinos besides other animals mostly deer during flood period. Many flood-hit animals are run over by vehicles travelling along the highway on the southern boundary of the National Park.
Flood is ubiquitous in KNP during monsoon given that the mighty Brahmaputra River flows through the Park from East to West along the northern boundary of the Park’s core area. The arterial National Highway strikes along the southern boundary of the National Park.
The Director of the KNP, P Shivkumar and the DFO, Rohini Ballav Saikia in a meeting with the NGOs decided to launched a widespread pre-flood awareness campaign among fringe villagers to elicit their support and cooperation in safeguarding stray animals during the flood.
Different NGOs have been assigned to carry out the campaign in coordination with respective forest ranges in different fringe areas of the Park to sensitise villagers on how they will be able to help the authority in protecting stray animals during flood period.
Md Arif Hussain, Senior Project Officer of Aaranyak, which is one the key NGOs assigned to the task by the KNP authority, informed that they have already conduced four such campaign in first phase covering over 1200 villagers including students, adults, VDP members in Boralimari, Bhojmari, Katarati and Koriyani during May 27 to 29 under Nagsankar range of Northern Division of the KNP. Aaranyak has collaborated with a local NGO, Upatyaka and the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) in crying out the campaign.
The villagers have been sensitized on ‘Dos and Don’ts’ of animal protection and how to help in rescue of flood-hit animals during the campaign through audio-visual presentation by experts from Aaranyak, Upatyaka and WTI.
Similarly, another NGO Bhoomi in collaboration with Aaranyak and forest department have conducted similar campaign on eastern fringe of KNP during May 29 to 31 at Dhansirimukh, Dhobaati and Bamungaon.
Bhoomi’s conservation leader, Uttam Saikia informed that the campaign had elicited good response of villagers and students so far as the people of the area stand witness to plight of Kaziranga animals during flood period almost every year.