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| File picture of forest guards at Kaziranga |
Guwahati, March 11 : A boom in the animal population inside Kaziranga National Park has triggered a “war” among the denizens and the forest guards engaged for their protection.
The increasing conflict between forest guards and the animals has left a forest guard dead and three injured in the past 20 days. A rhino was also shot dead by forest guards during the same period.
Yesterday, a forest guard was attacked and critically injured by a herd of wild buffaloes in the park’s Bagori range.
Atul Bora, a forest guard with over 10 years’ experience in Kaziranga, was killed by a female rhino at the Kohora range of the park on Saturday. The rhino, which had a calf, charged at Bora and his two colleagues and before Bora could react, it hit him, killing him instantly.
Two forest guards were injured when rhinos attacked them in two separate incidents on February 23 and February 25. Both the guards were shifted to Guwahati for treatment.
A rhino was also shot dead by a guard a few days earlier when it charged at a team of wildlife experts working on a tiger project.
In three out of these four incidents, female rhinos with calves were involved. Gogoi said female rhinos with calves were always dangerous and attacked without any provocation.
“It was always risky out there. But the risk factor has increased with the boom in animal population,” divisional forest officer D. Gogoi said.
“Our guards come into confrontation with the animals almost every day. It is not an easy job for them. There are instances when our guards escape by climbing trees. One always has to be alert,” he added.
The burning of grass in this dry season, which increases visibility, has also added to the animal-human conflict. The Kaziranga authorities burn dry grass in this season to facilitate the growth of new grass.
Gogoi said the rhino population of the park had increased “from a mere dozen in 1908 to over 1,500 in 1999”. The rhino census conducted in Kaziranga in April 1999 recorded a population of 1,552.
The next census is scheduled to be conducted on March 15. “The population has increased to over 2,000, there is no doubt about it,” he added.
Gogoi said the park had also witnessed an increase in population of other animals, especially deer and buffaloes.
He said the park authorities had instructed the guards to be more careful. “We are visiting all the guards camps and advising them to be alert all the time.”
The park has 138 anti-poaching camps, with at least three guards in each camp.
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