Act against poachers with an iron hand: Activists

By our Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, June 19: ture’s Beckon and Jourlists’ Forum Assam (JFA) have expressed utter dismay at the poaching of another one-horned rhinoceros at Kaziranga tiol Park (KNP) in a fortnight, and demanded stringent actions against the culprits.

Both the organizations opined that the killing of seventh rhino till date this year at the most protected forest reserve establishes that the poachers are more organized and the intertiol wildlife trade remains too aggressive to be dealt with than it was understood. Assam witnesses the killing of altogether 12 rhinos this year where the KNP (7) lost the highest number of the precious animals with Orang tiol Park losing 3, Burhachapori Wildlife Sanctuary and Mas tiol Park losing one each till date.

“The relentless poaching of rhinos in KNP reflects the desperate attempt by those crimils to sabotage the anti-poaching conservative initiative. But it must continue to target the poachers and also the illegal wildlife traders across northeast India,” said a statement

issued by ture’s Beckon and JFA. Both the organizations appreciate the recent crackdown on rhino-poaching by the new government at Dispur which resulted in the arrest of many professiol poachers. Effective interrogation of those poachers and necessary investigations may lead to some vital clues regarding the illegal wildlife trades, added the organizations.

“It needs no mention that both ture’s Beckon and JFA claimed a decade back that a section of Assam forest officials were involved in the illegal wildlife trade, which is now vindicated by the recent statement of the State forest minister Pramila Rani Brahma,” asserted the statement.

However, the forest department still possesses dedicated forest official and workers. They should be strengthened by the department and their conservation initiative should be supported by the ture loving people. In addition to it, the fringe villagers as well as the committed skilled youths may be engaged effectively in the protection initiatives.