Assam Flood and Loss of Precious Rhinos
By Nava Thakuria, New
Age Islam
5 August
2024
Safeguarding
single horn rhinoceros in highly protected reserve forests in Assam confronts a
major challenge other than the poaching and that’s the perennial flood hitting
northeast India annually. Often poaching of a one-horned rhino makes
international media headlines, but it gets subdued attention when significant
numbers of precious rhinos are wiped out in a single wave of flood caused by
incessant rains for days in the vicinity of upper riparian countries. The
latest wave of Assam flood snatched away the lives of 13 rhinos, whereas it
took six years to lose 11 grass-eating pachyderms to poachers inside the forest
reserves. Statistics reveal that Assam recorded unnatural deaths of over 50
rhinos due to flood related disasters since 2019. So survival of the precious
animals may not solely depend on the strict anti-poaching measures, but
pragmatic initiatives to help rhinos to survive during the perennial floods.
White
Rhino
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The second
wave of flood in July 2024 left a trail of devastation in Assam by killing over
a hundred people and temporarily displacing thousands of families to take
shelter in administration run relief camps. At its peak, the deluge hit over
2.7 million people (out of 33 million population) in 30 districts, where more
than 3500 villages were submerged by the flood water for many weeks. The muddy
flood water from Brahmaputra, Barak, Kushiyara, Subansiri, Burhi Dihing,
Dikhou, Disang, Dhansiri, Jia-Bharali, Puthimari, Kapili, Beki, Manas,
Dhaleswari, Pagladiya, Burhadiya, etc rivers inundated over 25,000 hectares of
crop area across the region. The natural disaster damaged a number of embankments,
roads & bridges, buildings and other infrastructures. It also devastated
over 10,50,000 domestic animals &
poultry, whereas hundreds of wild animals lost their lives in Kaziranga
National Park and Tiger Reserve.
The
authority in Kaziranga reveals that at least 215 wild animals including 13
rhinos and 170 deer, 8 porcupines, 5 pigs, 1 buffalo died in the forest reserve
due to drowning and other causes. No less than 157 animals including two rhino
calves were rescued by the staff on duty and later most of them were released
to the wild after necessary treatment. Kaziranga’s field director Sonali Ghosh
informed that most of the forest camps (out of 233) inside the park went under
flood water for many days. The UNESCO world heritage site today gives shelter
to more than 2600 rhinos along with Asiatic elephants, water buffalo, royal
Bengal tigers and a varieties of birds. Once drawn media attention for wrong
reasons, Kaziranga drastically reduced the number of poaching incidents in the
last few years, thanks to the brutal laws against the poachers, strengthening
of ground staff inside the protected forest areas and increasing public
awareness in the fringe areas.
The safe
habitat for the largest population of greater one-horned rhinos (Rhinoceros
unicornis) in the world eventually experiences flooding every year from the
inflated water from Brahmaputra river on its northern border. As the core 430
square kilometre area (now extended to 1,300 sq km) goes under the water, the
animals take refuge in hundreds of highlands erected inside it. Many animals
try to cross the Asian Highway 1 (National Highway-37) on its southern border
to climb the hilly areas of Karbi Anglong. While crossing the highway, some
animals are killed by the speeding vehicles and hence the authorities instruct
the drivers to maintain a safe speed limit to avoid any unwanted
incidents. Often the vehicles are
escorted by the forest officials while crossing the park to avoid accidents
with the fleeing animals.
Rhinos are
recognized as vulnerable species by the International Union for Conservation of
Nature (IUCN) and India’s wildlife protection act formulated in 1972 gives
enormous power to the forest rangers to protect the gigantic animal. The rhino
horns, grown by both males and females after attaining six years, are believed
to have medicinal values supposed to cure typhoid, headache, stomach ailment,
food poisoning, snakebites and even cancer.
Taiwan, Thailand, South Korea, Vietnam and the Middle East are also
known to be huge markets for rhino horns, where its use for medical purposes
and scientific research is legalised. Many also unscientifically believe that
one can achieve unusual sexual power with the help of rhino horns (using it as
an aphrodisiac/traditional Viagra). However, the veterinarians argue that rhino
horns comprise the same protein that constitutes the formation of hair &
fingernails and it does not possess any quality for sexual stimulation.
Kaziranga
lost two adult rhinos in January 2024 to poachers, who took away the horns understandably to earn an attractive amount
of money from the illegal wildlife markets.
Last year, Kaziranga witnessed one rhino poaching incident (Manas
National Park and Tiger Reserve also lost one rhino to poachers) and it was
preceded by two incidents each in 2021 and 2020, whereas three rhinos were
killed in 2019. Needless to mention, Assam recorded a zero rhino-poaching year
in 2022 to draw the applause from the global conservationists. Another world
heritage site of the State, Manas forest reserve currently gives shelter to
around 50 rhinos with a host of other inmates like water buffalo, tiger,
leopard, golden langur, gaur, pygmy hog, etc. Similarly, Pobitora Wildlife
Sanctuary (giving shelter to 107 rhinos) and Orang National Park (125 rhinos)
support the rhino population of Assam to increase up to 2,895 individuals.
With a
drastic reduction in poaching incidents following the deployment of heavily
armed ground forces and other modern gadgets, Assam expects to increase the
rhino population to 3,000 very soon. A number of poachers were arrested and
many died in encounters with the security forces inside the forest areas. The
captured poachers and their associates admit that they had taken the risk of
killing rhinos inside the restricted forest reserves because of enormous
monetary benefits. While achieving success in preserving the species, it’s time
to pay serious attention towards the annual deluge, as it continues washing
away rhinos and other animals every year.
In a major flood that hit Kaziranga in 2017, over 350 animals including
24 rhinos died due to drowning and colliding with moving vehicles on the
highway. It was succeeded by 17 rhino casualties in 2019, 10 in 2020, 8 in
2021, etc. due to floods.
But the
conservationists argue that Kaziranga inmates cannot survive without the
recurrent flood. The flood water helps the ecosystem by depositing nutrients
for regenerating the grasslands. The natural water movement also supports
cleaning the wetland of many invasive species for the benefit of grass eaters.
All wild animals possess instincts to survive during the flood and so move
towards the high land, apprehending the surrounding water level in advance.
What they need, a natural way to proceed with no or little human interventions,
so that they can take the decision correctly to move out and also return back
to the forest reserve after the flood water recedes.
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Nava Thakuria is a northeast India-based
professional journalist who is an engineering graduate.
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/current-affairs/assam-flood-precious-rhinos/d/132859
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