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Tags:Villagers|Kaziranga National Park|Conflicts
KAZIRANGA: Over 2,000 rhinos, 1,292 elephants, 1,400 wild buffaloes and about 700 swamp deer are already jostling for space in the 430 sq km area of Kaziranga National Park. Add to it about 80-odd tigers. Kaziranga National Park, which boasts of highest tiger density in the world, has virtually run out of space. And the worst sufferers, it seems, are the tigers they stray out of the protected area in search of prey and run into the risk of getting engaged in fatal conflicts with fringe villagers.
Kaziranga Park authorities admit to the problem. "The need of the hour is to add new areas under the park's administration. Even as the process to add new areas is over, these areas are yet to be handed over to us," Kaziranga National Park director Surajit Dutta said.
"Regaining the sand islands on the Brahmaputra which are used as natural corridors by tigers is of utmost importance for proper conservation of the big cats and ensuring their safety. Most of these island are either encroached by human beings or are being used by them to set up cattle sheds. This increases human-tiger conflicts," he added.
A park official said if one combines the total number of big mammals in the park area, it only reveals a terrible space shortage. "Incidents of straying out by tigers and conflicts with locals living in villages along the park are rampant. We have to extend our management beyond the existing area of the park," an official observed.
"Whenever a tiger strays out, it preys on livestock. This triggers conflicts. In fact, human-tiger conflict has posed a challenge for us. However, in collaboration with WWF-India, we are making all efforts to mitigate the conflict by providing compensation to owners as early as possible," Dutta said.
A joint study by Aaranyak and WWF-India, in collaboration with the forest department, has confirmed that over 100 sand islands dotting the Brahmaputra between Kaziranga national park and Orang national park are frequently used by tigers for their movement.
Spotting tigers in places like Koliabor, Naltali and Dhakuakhana within the Kaziranga-Orang Riverine Landscape has confirmed that big cats are using the islands for establishing new home ranges once they move out of the protected areas.
The trend of more and more tigers straying out of Kaziranga is also a cause of concern for the fringe villagers. "Last monsoon, I lost three cows in tiger attacks. They sneak into our village and prey upon our cattle. Our cattle sheds are not well-protected ones," said 75-year-old Hemai Tokbi, the village headman of Inglem Pathar, a non-descript hamlet bang opposite the Kohora range of the national park.
Though Tokbi claimed that residents of Inglem Pathar have never tried to kill a tiger, he could not vouch the same for people of other villages surrounding Kaziranga. "It's a difficult question. Don't ask me that," was his curt reply.
P J Bora, programme coordinator of WWF-India's Kaziranga-Karbi Anglong Landscape Programme (KALP), said: "We provide these villagers with immediate relief whenever there's report of tiger depredation. For proper conservation of the tigers, managing the park and the firing villages is of utmost importance. One should always remember that the human and wildlife interface in an area like Kaziranga is quite diffused that there is constant interaction, sometime fierce, and close relationship among both the parties."
The 185 km long Kaziranga-Orang Riverine Landscape (KORL) comprises the protected areas of Kaziranga, Orang, Laokhowa Wildlife Sanctuary, Burachapori Wildlife Sanctuary and a number of reserve forests. The study said KORL served as a major gateway for movement of other animals including deer the major prey base for tigers.
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