GUWAHATI: Authorities have decided to postpone opening of Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary (WLS), a famed habitat of one-horned Indian rhinoceros in Assam, for tourists this season in the wake of death of two Asiatic Water buffaloes in the park due to deadly anthrax.
The wildlife protection area was scheduled to be thrown open for tourists from Tuesday for the season.
The carcasses were recovered on October 16 last and veterinarians confirmed anthrax as the cause of death after conducting post-mortem and other standard diagnosis.
The 38-square kilometer Wildlife Sanctuary located in Morigaon district of Assam and about 45 kilometers away from here, is well known for its treasure trove of 102 one-horned India rhinoceros (as per census report on 2018).
The sanctuary is considered to have the highest population density of one-horned rhinos in the world and is often called ‘Mini Kaziranga’ due to similar landscape and vegetation.
Pobitora’s Ranger Mukul Tamuli informed that the forest staff engaged in the sanctuary were taking all possible steps as advised by the experts from state’s Veterinary and Animal Husbandry Department to arrest further loss of animal in the park due to the deadly virus.
“As a preventive measure we have buried those carcasses at 8-9 feet before the surface and applied salt and lime on those before filling those pits. The area (700×60 sq.m.) where the carcasses were found and subsequently buried have been cordoned off and we are in the process of erecting solar electricity fencing around it to prevent other park animals coming to the spot. We also sprayed formalin in the area on Tuesday (October 22),” the Range Officer said.
However, the sanctuary will not be thrown open for tourists till the authority become assured about zero possibility of occurrence of similar death of any other animals in the park.
“The state’s Veterinary Department has started vaccination of cattle in neighbouring villages of the sanctuary as a preventive measure while all the 11 trained elephants used for tourists’ safaris in the sanctuary have been vaccinated. We have also provided antibiotic doses to all the forest staffs engaged in the sanctuary. The situation is under strict monitoring,” Tamuli said.
Meanwhile, experts from the state’s veterinary department have collected soil sample from the spot in the sanctuary where the buffaloes’ carcasses were recovered for testing presence of anthrax virus.
“There is likely hood that the sanctuary may be opened for tourists in immediate future in case there is no further occurrence of animal deaths due to anthrax. We are keeping our fingers crossed. If the sanctuary remains closed for the season it will cause huge financial loss to local tour operators and hoteliers whose livelihood mostly depends on the earnings they made in during the tourists’ season,” the Ranger official informed.
