A file image of Manas National Park
The poaching of three elephants in Manas National Park within a short span of time is disturbing and lays bare serious security breaches in the national park, which is also a tiger reserve and a World Heritage Site.
While Manas has come a long way since it was on the brink of losing its WHS status following pro- longed ethno-social unrest in Bodoland areas throughout the 1990s- a period that witnessed large-scale killing of diverse wildlife - any laxity in security stands to derail its recovery process. Notwithstanding the strong comeback made by almost all its wildlife populations in recent years, poaching has remained an intermittent problem in Manas.
Poaching of wildlife such as deer and other lesser wildlife is generally ignored by the authorities - something that has apparently emboldened the well-organized poacher gangs which are now targeting mega-fauna such as tiger, rhino and elephant with impunity. In the past two years or so, there have been several rhino, tiger and elephant fatalities in Manas, exposing poor security.
The Manas authorities are definitely answerable to the recent cases of poaching of elephants and other wildlife. Both the forest department and the State government, too, need to treat the situation seriously and bring in the required interventions. Any laxity on the part of the national park authorities should be dealt with sternly and the guilty made accountable.
At the same time, a foolproof security mechanism should be put in place.The number of frontline personnel might need augmentation and they should be adequately trained in anti-poaching responsibilities. As these men remain in the forefront of conservation, any adverse issue affecting their ability and morale is bound to have serious implications for the park's security. Equally imperative is to have a strong intelligence network for pre-empting wildlife crimes.
As long as these issues are left unaddressed, poachers and illegal loggers will continue to have a field day inside the protected area. What the park needs is trained manpower backed by logistics and intelligence gathering. With poachers taking recourse to ingenious modes of operation, the need for a dedicated and competent frontline squad hardly needs any emphasis.
The absence of trained frontline personnel has been a bane cutting across the State's forests. The level of their preparedness and motivation has a direct bearing on the success of conservation.
Sadly, these people continue to get a raw deal from the forest department and the government which have over the decades done precious little to equip the guards in the required manner even as the forest department continues to get top-heavy.
In most of the protected forests, we have guards that are aged, infirm and largely unmotivated. This is far from a recipe for any conservation success. The government needs to take a policy decision to give top priority on creating a pool of motivated and efficient frontline personnel across our wildlife habitats.