The devastating three waves of floods witnessed by the world heritage site this year is poised to deter the enthusiasm of domestic as well as international visitors.
KAZIRANGA: If wanton poaching has sent foresters at Kaziranga National Park into a tizzy, the devastating three waves of floods witnessed by the world heritage site this year is poised to deter the enthusiasm of domestic as well as international visitors.
"This year, the devastation caused by the floods was maximum. As a result, we are struggling to cope with the trail of the devastation which would delay the park's formal opening for tourists this coming season," park's Director Suren Buragohain told.
The floods destroyed five bridges, 17 culverts and ten forest camps in the safari routes. In addition, over a dozen inmates, including two rhinos and 14 deers also perished in the waters.
While the Director was hopeful that the delay in opening would not be much, he said that jeep safaris might not be possible initially. "We are planning to start with elephant safaris in all the four ranges of the park, till the bridges and roads are revamped," Buragohain said.
However, the tourists have something to cheer as the authorities are mulling boat safaris inside the park from early next year. "Once the boat safaris start, the park could be opened to tourists for a longer period, as the safaris could be carried out even during the monsoons," he said.
Last season, over 77,000 tourists visited the pristine habitat, of which about 4,700 were from abroad.
Currently, experts are studying the feasibility and drawing a viable route in the brooks and beels of the park for the boat safaris, which would be for the first time in the world heritage site.
However, when asked about the wanton poaching inside the park, the Director, while admitting that it was a matter of grave concern, said that "the Army has been alerted along the park's eastern borders".
Altogether 14 rhinos have been killed by poachers so far this year, raising concerns of environmentalists and conservationists. Intelligence inputs suggested that Manipuri, Naga and Karbi poachers belonging to militant outfits were carrying out their activities through the eastern borders.
One kg of rhino horn costs over Rs 10 lakh and is used for manufacturing medicines and wine. Reports said the horns were being marketed to southeast Asian countries.
"The security forces including the Army, has been alerted in and around the vicinity of the park for enhancing vigil. We have nabbed at least six poachers belonging to various Naga and Karbi outfits in the last couple of weeks," the Director claimed.
But, this year's floods have made many patrolling routes inside the park unmotorable, besides inundating a number of camps of the forest guards. This fomented the activities of the poachers even as the state government drew flak for lax security measures.
Despite making headlines for rampant poaching, the Kaziranga National Park, which houses more than half of the world's one-horned rhinos, has scripted a good conservation story, raising the rhino count by over 1,800 in the last century.
The state forest department has undertaken a project to relocate the rhinos of the park to other reserve forests across Assam in a bid to enhance their growth rate.
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