Jorhat, April 6: There is a flip side to good news, as the authorities of Assam’s Kaziranga National Park have learnt to their cost.
The good news first: the population of the one-horned rhino, deer and buffalo has registered a marked increase over the past few years, which is a remarkable turnaround for the poaching-hit game reserve.
The increase in the wildlife population has, however, made the park “a little too crowded” for comfort. To make matters worse, the area is shrinking because of erosion by the Brahmaputra and encroachment by settlers.
The park authorities are bracing for a possible shortage of food for the animals, especially the rhinos and deer.
Park director N.K. Vasu told The Telegraph that the rhino, buffalo and deer population in the 430-square km wildlife reserve had increased manifold over the years. He said the 1999 census pegged the rhino population at 1,552, up from a mere 366 in 1966.
There was a similar increase in the number of wild buffaloes, with the population touching 1,500 from 471 in 1966. The hog deer population crossed the 2,500 mark during the same period.
However, the gains have been offset by an unexpected space crunch. “The park has become a trifle small for its denizens. The area should be increased immediately. If it is not done, the animals will be in danger,” Vasu said.
In the Bagori range, there are about 10 rhinos in a one-square km stretch. Dispur had planned to increase the size of the park and create six new blocks way back in the 80s. However, encroachment by settlers and the possible implications of evicting them have prevented successive governments from executing the plan.
The park authorities did reclaim a 44-square km area after winning a court case against the encroachers, but only on paper.
“There are still about 20 khutis (cattle-grazing areas) in a 10-square km stretch. Wild animals do not venture into this area because of the presence of about 4,000 cattle there. The result is a food scarcity within the park,” Vasu said.
Conservationist Robin Banerjee had warned of an outbreak of diseases within the park if rhinos and other wildlife were allowed to graze with domestic cattle. Echoing him, the park director said the last thing he and his colleagues wanted was an epidemic.
Vasu pleaded with the government to immediately evict settlers from the first block to save the precious wildlife of Kaziranga. “If we have full access to this area, the space crunch will be taken care of for another 10 years at the least.”