Webinar held on rescue operation of wildlife in Kaziranga during floods

A Correspondent

NUMALIGARH: Kaziranga National Park is reeling under flood and the State Forest Department is working to protect the wildlife in the National Park, said Parimal Suklabaidya, State Environment and Forest Minister while speaking in a webinar organized by Press Information Bureau, Guwahati on Wednesday. The topic of the webinar was 'Rescue Operation of Wildlife in Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve (KNPTR) during floods'.

"In order to tackle the rise in water level and to protect the wildlife, we have tried to put together rescue teams and boats well in advance," the minister said, and added, "Thirty-three new highlands that had been constructed last year in addition to existing highlands have helped the wild animals to take shelter during this crucial time of flood."

The minister further said that every year Kaziranga National Park faced flood and this year it was facing the third phase of flood. The forest department faces double whammy of protecting the animals in Kaziranga every year from poachers and other natural calamities. "This year only one case of poaching has been reported so far," the minister said.

Referring to the concerted efforts of the forest department using advanced equipment, the minister said that the department was getting full support from the State and Central governments.

LR Vishwanath, Head of North East Zone, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, in his welcome address said that Kaziranga was a special attraction to the world for its flora and fauna. But the national park was also prone to the risk of heavy rains and flood every year. He said that Press Information Bureau had a unique role in bringing people together and informing and making them aware about all current issues. With this motive, the Press Information Bureau was holding this webinar on the present situation of Kaziranga, he said.

Ramesh Gogoi, DFO, Kaziranga National Park, gave an overview of the flood in Kaziranga. He highlighted the various measures taken by the forest department to rescue the animals in the national park. He informed that the forest department was getting adequate support, not only from the government, but also from many national and international NGOs and local people.

Himanshu Shekhar, Editor, NDTV India, spoke about the importance of SDG number 15 for Kaziranga Sanctuary and Assam. Calling wildlife crime as a cause of concern, he suggested that States should have institutional mechanism to address the challenges that the wildlife was facing.

Dr. Bibhab Kumar Talukdar, CEO, Aaranyak spoke about the importance of Karbi Anglong for Kaziranga National Park during flood as a natural island. He said emphasis on the conservation of the Kaziranga facing hills of Karbi Anglong was equally important as during the floods, animals from the park migrate to the foothills of Karbi Anglong. He urged the government to control any developmental activities in the Karbi Anglong foothills near Kaziranga.

Dr. Rathin Barman, Joint Director, Wildlife Trust of India, spoke on wildlife rescue situation due to flood in Kaziranga and said that the support they were getting from the community in rescue operation was enormous. Referring to other parts of the country where crowd management posed the biggest problem in any rescue activity, Dr Barman said that the situation in KNPTR was very contrary and the cooperation of the community across KNPTR had helped the forest staff in all rescue operations.

Rabindra Sarma, Research Officer, Kaziranga National Park, spoke on flood and corridor management and said that during floods the animals, in addition to the Karbi Anglong foothills, also move to the nearby tea garden areas for shelter. Referring to the movement of animals to the nearby tea garden areas, Sarma said that the people of the nearby tea gardens should be oriented more for providing the necessary support to the staff of the Forest Department for the protection of the wild animals.

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