Guwahati, June 22: The Nambar wildlife sanctuary, spread across Golaghat and Karbi Anglong districts of Assam, has turned into a killing field for its wild creatures.

The easy availability of guns among villagers residing in the vicinity of the sanctuary is being blamed for the carnage.

This month alone, a couple of elephants and an equal number of gaur fell to the bullets of poachers.

A gaur with bullet injuries was found this morning in the sanctuary’s Santipur area.

The gaur is listed as a Scheduled I animal under the Wildlife Protection Act. In fact, even the British colonial rulers prohibited hunting of gaur in the region way back in 1891.

Honorary wildlife warden Arup Ballav Goswami said if immediate steps were not taken, the wildlife population would soon be wiped out in the Nambar sanctuary.

Goswami has sent an SOS to Dispur, apprising the government about the seriousness of the situation.

A police official at Santipur police station in Karbi Anglong district admitted that the situation in the district, specially in areas bordering Nagaland, was serious, since firearms are easily available from across the border.

In fact, about five militant organisations have their bases in the district. The police officer disclosed that some militant outfits operating in the area are involved in poaching.

The Golaghat district administration recently appealed to Dispur to carry out a full-fledged army operation in the areas bordering Karbi Anglong to flush out militants from the area.

Goswami added that animals become easy targets for poachers at Nambar, since there are only a few water sources there, which the animals regularly visit.

An official of the forest department based in Diphu in Karbi Anglong conceded that poaching has increased at Nambar sanctuary in recent times. But he added that it was almost impossible for the forest department to deploy a sufficient number of guards since its resources are limited.

“We are no match for well-armed militant-cum-poachers,” he pointed out.