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Corbett Under the Scanner
(August, 2002)

          DEHRA DUN: Patrolling has been intensified under the special 'Operation Monsoon' in the 1,200 sq. km Jim Corbett National Park to deter poachers. The park is closed to visitors from June 15 to November 14 every year. This is the monsoon time and most of the streams are flooded.

           Set in the foothills of the Himalayan mountains, the Cor- bett park, named after the famous British hunter-turned-conse- rvator Jim Corbett, is famous for its tiger, elephant, leopard, deer and crocodile. In 1973, as part of Project Tiger, the park was declared India's first tiger reserve. Located in the new Uttaranchal state, it is 400 km from Lucknow, Capital of the parent state of Uttar Pradesh.

           This year security officials have pressed motor boats into service on river Ramganga for patrolling the vast areas of the park from Dhikala range to Kalagarh range. The reserve has six motor boats and surveillance is conducted on any two days every week.

     "Where we cannot go on foot, we travel by boat for patrolling. We form squads and go in separate directions. Then all the squads meet at a pre-determined spot and discuss among themselves before proceeding on the operation once again," said Shiv Lal, a range officer. Most of the roads in the rainy season become non-motorable and security guards move around on foot.

      Although trafficking of wildlife products is banned in India, the incidence of killing of animals for their skin, bones, horns and other body parts, which are used in preparing things like Chinese medicine or sold as rare items, is on the rise.

      Instances are plenty. An interesting story is the official version of a tusker death in Bijnore near the park in December, 2000 as due to "over-eating". Officials said in support of their

version that  its intestine was found "knotted". Blood was found in the dung. Two other male elephants were killed during the same period. It was said that they were fed nails and pieces of metal through feed. Autopsy, on the other hand, reported injuries of steel rods fired from gun

                    Five tuskers were found killed early in January, 2001. Two elephants were killed early in February. One of them was found in Paterpani, the core of the park, where no outsider is allowed entry.

           In February, 2001, two male tigers met with "unnatural deaths " inside the park. Park officials said they died of "territorial fights" among animals. Another was killed in April. Two tuskers were also found killed early in April.

           In that February, the park was closed for a brief period for combing operations. According to then park director Pooran Chandra Joshi, four battalions of the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) were deployed to comb the park to nab elephant poachers.

           Several rallies have been held to protest against the inability of the staff to protect the wildlife. There were 430 forest staff on duty in the park which has an area of 1200 sq km. The forest guards' complaint was that they were understaffed and that they did not have equipments like walkie-talkie etc and transport.

           Meanwhile, environmentalists have welcomed the Supreme Court order staying construction of a highway through the park for which the proposal was pending.        

   The park was closed on June 15 last for tourists for five months like in every year. An Operation Monsoon was also launched to nab poachers. The park, famous for its tigers, leopards and elephants, will reopen on November 15. The Government has rejected the demand of the hoteliers to keep a portion open to facilitate their business going.

          Notwithstanding all these developments, we have a report as late as of June 17 that a search following a blast led to the recovery of 17 explosive devices from the forest interiors. An alert was sounded and a man-hunt was launched. Nothing has been heard of it after that.

-ANI & India Overseas

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