No way out of this muck

Oct. 22: For a national park, things could not have been worse. Every time an animal falls ill, the authorities of Orang National Park have to send for a surgeon from the College of Veterinary Science in Guwahati.

The national park, which is the only home of the one-horned rhino on the northern banks of Brahmaputra, does not have a single veterinary doctor!

“Every time an animal dies or is killed, examinations need to be done quickly. However, the absence of a veterinary doctor in the park forces us to depend on others,” a park official said.

Even for minor injuries, a vet has to be called to check the animals. “The results of these tests are required fast, but as they are done in Guwahati, it takes time,” the official added.

The shortage of manpower has added to the woes of the park. Sources said of the 186 forest guards required to man the park, only 50 guards and 36 casual employees are employed at present.

Residents of nearby villages and wildlife lovers said poachers and timber smugglers were taking full advantage of the situation. “Poaching and timber smugglers, coupled with encroachment, has put the very existence of the park at stake,” a wildlife activist said.

“The government has not taken any steps to evict encroachers. The villagers leave their animals to graze inside the park, thereby posing a threat to the habitat of the rhino and other herbivorous animals,” a source said.

Sources said there were only four mahouts and five gardeners, against the requirement for 16 each. Similarly, while 18 boatmen are required for the 16 country boats and two motor boats, only nine have been employed.

Spread over an area of nearly 79 square km, the park was declared a game reserve in 1915 and a wildlife sanctuary in 1985. It was granted national park status in 1999. It is home to 68 rhinos, more than 20 Royal Bengal tigers (Panthera tigris), Asiatic elephants, hog deer, wild boar, civets, leopards, hispid hare and porcupines. The Bengal florican (Houbaropsis bengalensis), reptiles and butterflies are its other attractions.