GUWAHATI: Premier biodiversity conservation and research organisation, Aaranyak on Sunday organised a workshop for police personnel in Daarang district on wildlife crime scenario and efficacy of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 in Mangaldai in Assam.
“The workshop was organised in collaboration with Darrang District Police in pursuit of Aaranyak’s efforts to add teeth to the tirade against wildlife crimes including poaching, illegal trade in wildlife parts,” the CEO and Secretary General of Aaranyak, Dr Bibhab Talukdar said.
It was part of a series of similar workshops that have been organised by Aaranyak for different district police of the state of late.
The workshop which was organised by the Legal and Advocacy Division of Aaranyak, was attended by over 30 field level police officers of the district, besides the SP and three DSPs.
At the outset of the day’s proceedings, the SP, Amrit Bhuyan said that such a workshop was a need of the hour given the rising wildlife crime graph.
The Divisional Forest Officer (Wildlife) Mangaldai Division, Ramesh Gogoi graced the workshop and highlighted importance of such sensitising sessions for honing skills of enforcement personnel in preventing and scientifically investigating wildlife crimes in the state where precious faunal resources are under threat of different dimensions and types.
One of the key resource persons from Aaranyak, Dr Talukdar gave a presentation highlighting the alarming wildlife crime scenario and the important role that the police are expected to play for improving the situation.
Noted conservation expert and Honorary Wikdlife Warden, Kaushik Barua, while addressing the workshop flagged the growing importance of K9 sniffer dogs squad of Aaranyak in preventing and investigating wildlife crimes in the state.
He mentioned that five units of K9 squads have been provided by Aaranyak for use by the wildlife protection staff in three protected areas in the state -Kaziranga National Park (3 units), Orang National Park (one unit) and Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary (one unit).
Assiciate Lawyer of Aaranyak, Advocate Ajoy Kumar Das, explained in detail before the participating police officials the efficacy of various provisions of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.