Journal of Ecosystem & Ecography
Open Access

Abstract

The rhino population in Pabitora Wildlife Sanctuary had increased from 54 in 1987 to 74 in 1999 and in Kaziranga National Park it increased from 1164 in 1993 to 1552 in 1999. However, in Orang National Park, the rhino population decreased from 97 in 1991 to only 46 in 1999, mainly because of unabated poaching. In the anti-poaching operation in Pabitora since November 1997, large numbers of poachers were arrested and arms and ammunition were recovered. Kaziranga witnessed the lowest poaching in 1999 with only 4 rhino killed by poachers, down from 8 in 1998. Anti-poaching staff of Kaziranga arrested 18 rhino poachers in 1999, a marked increase from 2 in 1998. To ensure the future of the rhino in Assam, forest anti-poaching staff needs further government support. Habitat conservation and protection need to be given priority. Forest officials, the various collaborating NGOs and local people need to work together to conserve the rhino in the 21st century. The Kaziranga National Park (KNP) is one of the most successful stories of conservation of Rhinoceros unicornis in the world. From a population of a mere dozen rhinos in 1908, when the Kaziranga was declared a forest reserve, the population has grown to 1500 over 90 years of conservation. The rhino census conducted in Kaziranga in April 1999 recorded a population of 1552 compared with 1164 in 1993. The Poaching will remain as a major threat to the rhinoceros population. Therefore, anti-poaching efforts have to be improved and maintained. Receiving information in advance on the movement of poachers and wildlife smugglers is extremely crucial in apprehending illegal wildlife traders and disrupting their activities. This management technique needs enormous community participation and faith. In the same time the natural calamities like flood had also added as a chance for poaching due to restricted movement of Rhinoceros. The new possibilities of Forest Rights Act 2006 can be a help to draw the community faith and to minimize the gap between forest department and the fringe society. The recent technological intervention used in terms of unmanned aircraft to monitor the park has been measurably failed and is criticized as loss of public money. Before that some NGOs had also tried to use imported sniffer dogs to trace the movements of poachers. These practices were found to be a short term measure as both the government authority and NGOs has very limited links to the grass root abnormalities of the park that lies in connection with the problems of local communities.

Biography

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