Escalating public outcry over rhino poaching

The civil societies and the pressure groups of Assam have come together demanding stringent actions against the poachers of endangered one-horn rhinos at Kaziranga National Park. Recognized as a safe heaven for the rhinos, Kaziraga has lately received media attention, but for wrong reasons. The park has lost as more as 20 rhinos during 2007 to poachers and it is all time high in the last decade. The New Year too began with sad news for wildlife lovers. Within the fifth week of 2008, four rhinos fell pray to the poachers in the same park.

Amazingly Kaziranga gives shelter to almost two third of the total population of one horn rhinos on Earth. A census in 1984 showed that Kaziranga, which was declared a National Park in 1974, had 1,080 rhinos. The number of poaching increased during 1975 to 1990. The average toll was nearly 25 per annum. The number of rhinos in Kaziranga was found 1069 in another census during 1991. The census in 1999 provided more optimistic result as the number of rhinos soared to 1,552. The last census in 2006 revealed the number of rhinos as high as 1,855 in the park.

The park normally loses 10 to 15 rhinos annually from natural causes and poaching. Rhinos live an average of 40 years, and in the last 10 years over 700 rhinos died, only 71 of them lost to poachers (the rest died natural deaths). In fact, the poaching of rhinos reduced in the last few years. Statistics reveal that altogether only five rhinos were killed during 2006. The previous year (2005) witnessed the slaughtering of seven rhinos. During 2004, four rhinos become victims of poaching. It was again less in 2003, where poachers killed only three rhinos. This way, the previous years tally similar statistics as four in 2002, eight in 2001, four in 2000, four in 1999 and so on.

The Kaziranga National Park director Suren Buragohain argues all the time, "The poachers are equipped with sophisticated weapons. But our forest guards lack the proper arms to counter them. The park, he says, badly needs more guards with advanced arms and ammunition. Incidentally, Buragohain earns harsh criticism from the wildlife lovers as his tenure witnessed the rapid increase in rhino poaching at Kaziranga. Statistics reveal that during his term (still to cross 12 months) as the director, Kazirnaga lost the highest number of rhinos in a decade.

As the director was clueless to the grave threats to rhino poaching in Kaziranga, the State forest minister showed equally insensitive and callous approach to the issue. All the time, the young mister in Tarun Gogoi's cabinet, preferred to ignore the matter. It finally compelled the All Assam Students' Union, an influential students' organization in Northeast to come out to the street. The AASU activists staged demonstrations throughout Assam on February 2 protesting against the authority's failure to protect the rhinos. The venues included the offices of the forest departments in all parts of the State. The AASU advisor Samujjal Bhattacharya went on demanding the resignation of Rockybul Hussain as the forest minister of Assam 'for failing to take adequate steps to stop this heinous crime against a national treasure'.

Earlier the conscious citizens, political party members and media editorials expressed their deep anguish against the continued slaughtering of rhinos in Assam, particularly at Kaziranga, in the last few months. The newspaper readers and television viewers had a shocking experience in January, when they were exposed to some horrible visuals of a wounded rhino at Kaziranga. The mother rhino had already lost her baby. Probably she tried in vain to save her calf, which was killed by the poachers for its horn. Then it was her turn to fall victim in a more tragic way. The poachers cut her horn, when she was alive and took it away. For the next two days the rhino fought with death with her severe wounds on the mouth and finally succumbed to injuries.

Meanwhile, an active NGO of the region came out with a strong allegation that the forest department itself was some how involved with the illegal trade of rhino horns. Addressing the scribes at Guwahati Press Club on February 4, Soumyadeep Datta, the director of Nature's Beckon, argued that the forest department of Assam has not preserved the rhino horns (with ivory and other wildlife organs) properly in their custody. Earlier, Nature's Beckon acquired some vital information (regarding the number of rhino horns and other precious wildlife organs) from the office of the Chief Conservator of Forest (Wildlife) of Assam exercising the Right to Information Act 2005.

As the CCF (Wildlife) MC Malakar informed that only 1498 rhino horns were available in the custody of the forest department till date, Mr Datta claims that it was too less. He declared, "We have authentic information that till 1972 Assam forest department used to sell the rhino horns. We suspect, the department continued to sell rhino horns even after 1972 (the year the Government of India prohibited hunting of wildlife and their trade by enacting laws)."

Poaching is a punishable offence in India with 7 years imprisonment. India is a party to Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species since 1976 and hence bound by all its efforts to eliminate International trade in wildlife and wildlife parts, disclosed Mr Datta. He also added, "We suspect that a large share of the wildlife parts, which are being sold in the international markets, made way from the forest department's stock due to the manipulation and corrupt practices of some dishonest forest officials." Hence, Nature's Beckon demands a high level probe (preferably by Central Bureau of Investigation) to examine the entire issue of poaching and illegal wildlife organ (like rhino horn, ivory, skin of tiger and leopard) trading, stated Mr Datta.

Amidst all the hue and cries, one more rhino was slaughtered during the first week of February at Kaziranga, which created public uproar through out the region. Facing the heat, the State Forest and Environment Minister Rockybul Hussain rushed to Kaziranga next day to take stock of the situation. He had immediately ordered the authority to deploy 100 armed guards to check the poachers in Kaziranga. The minister also admitted that the government was alarmed at the frequency of rhino poaching in the State. Compelled by the situation, the minister even disclosed that he had 'no reservation against a CBI enquiry' into the entire issue of poaching at the National parks of Assam.

Meanwhile, a citizens' meet, organized by Journalists’ Forum, Assam on February 13, supported the demand for a CBI inquiry into the killings of rhinos in the state. The meeting, held at Guwahati Press Club auditorium also urged Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi 'to break his silence on the issue and let the people know his government's stand and the steps he has taken, if any, to stop the menace'. The citizens demanded a committee to monitor incidents of rhino poaching, natural death and stocks of wild life parts in custody of the state forest department. "This committee should include representatives from cross sections of concerned citizens and exclude forest department officials and NGOs operating with forest department funds. In another demand, the citizens asked the concerned authorities to conduct a yearly census of wild life including rhinos and make the results public," said in a resolution.

The speakers, including AASU adviser Samujjal Bhattarcharya, Nature's Beckon director Soumyadeep Datta, senior journalists Hiten Mahanta, Nava Thakuria, Ranen Kumar Goswami, Sabita Lahkar and social activists Ajoi Dutta , Akhil Ranjan Gogoi, Jawaharlal Saha etc expressed the opinion that only the indigenous people living in areas surrounding the wild life habitats can ensure the safety of rhinos. The illegal foreigners settled in these areas are a threat to wild life and a source of poaching. The meeting demanded protection to indigenous people's rights and eviction of illegal foreigners, said in another resolution. It also added that incumbent forest minister Rockybul Hussain had miserably failed to protect the rhinos and prevent their poaching and hence no longer he remained 'fit for the job'.

The citizens' meet was supported by a group of Non Resident Indian, who had also joined the chorus to save the rhinos. The Friends of Assam & Seven Sisters (FASS) also demanded a high level enquiry into the ongoing killings of rhinos. In a message, sent from New York and read out during the meeting in Guwahati, Rajen Barua, CMD of FASS stated, "We think volumes have been written and spoken about the ineffectiveness of the present measures to protect the rhinos in KNP and other sites. We think time has now come for immediate actions."

While coming up with action plans, we urge for an immediate CBI investigation into the ongoing killings of rhinos, and take immediate disciplinary actions against the officials and individuals responsible for the lack of protective actions. Since the state government has failed miserably in its duties, the administration of the KNP should immediately be placed under military rule for the time being with strict orders to treat the poachers as terrorists. More over, a citizen's vigilance committee should be formed to monitor the situation on a regular basis in the national parks, added in the letter of support from FASS.