Surrender rids Manas of poachers
25 February, 2008
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Surrender rids Manas of poachers
(source: The Telegraph, Kolkata)
Guwahati, Feb. 25:
A group surrender of poachers — at 61, the most in a single day in Assam — today rid Manas National Park of a colossal burden on its natural wealth and reputation.
As the poachers surrendered before the deputy chief of the Bodoland Territorial Council, Kampa Borgoyari, at the Bansbari range of the park, conservationists rejoiced at the possibility of the wildlife habitat getting back the World Heritage Site tag that it lost because of poaching.
"Manas has long borne the brunt of poaching and we hope today's surrender will lead to better wildlife conservation in the national park," Borgoyari said over phone.
The poachers deposited 26 countrymade weapons.
"Since these are the very people (poachers) who were behind most incidents of poaching in the national park, we believe wildlife will not be targeted again in Manas. We want the park to regain its past glory," Borgoyari said.
Located on the north bank of the Brahmaputra, Manas has a core area of 500 square km and was declared a national park in 1990. It straddles Baksa and Chirang districts, both now administered by the BTC. A section of the park stretches beyond the Indo-Bhutan border, where it
is known as the Royal Manas National Park. Almost the entire rhino population of Manas was wiped out when poachers and militants overran parts of the park, prompting Unesco to downgrade its status to that of
a World Heritage Site in Danger.
A forest official said as many as 64 rhinos were killed for their horn in Manas between 1980 and 1995. In 1989, 1990 and 1994, militants made inroads into all three ranges of the park. Two ranges — Panbari and Bhuyanpara — were completely destroyed. Bansbari was the only one to
survive the onslaught.
Sustained conservation initiatives over the past few years have rejuvenated the park, but poaching remains a problem.
The executive director of the Wildlife Trust of India, Vivek Menon, and the field director of Manas National Park, A. Sargayari, attended today's surrender ceremony.
Sargayari said the best part of the development was that the surrendered poachers had promised to join the rhino conservation programme. "This is probably the best news for Manas, which has come at a time when rhinos from Kaziranga and Pobitora are about to arrive under the translocation programme."
The BTC deputy chief said the administration would rehabilitate the reformed poachers, just like the government helps militants with money and jobs. "I did not promise them any financial aid today, but the BTC will definitely do whatever is possible to rehabilitate them so that they do not go back to poaching."
Social unrest in the Bodo-inhabited belt for more than a decade was the primary reason for the park falling on bad times. "Unrest affected the park's management and some elements took advantage of the situation. During that period, nearly 28 camps and beat offices were destroyed. Six members of the park staff were killed. A ranger was assaulted and another abducted and killed," an official said.
Borgoyari attributed Manas's partial resurgence in the years since Bodo militancy ebbed to the joint campaign by the BTC, forest officials and conservation NGOs.
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