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Assam's Pabitara rhino sanctuary opens for tourists
by Peter Alex Todd
Guwahati (Assam): Assam's Pabitara
WildLife Sanctuary,which has the highest density of one-horned rhinoceros
in the world, has been declared open for tourists. Just 50 km from Guwahati,
Pabitara is situated in Central Assam's Morigaon district. Surrounded
by some 80 villages, Pabitara is spread over 38.8 square kilometres and
has 76 one-horned rhinoceroses, a herd of local cattle and thousands of
chirping migratory birds. Pabitara has gone through drastic changes since
the one-horned rhinos were first sighted there in 1923. Pabitara was declared
a wildlife sanctuary in 1987. But this has not prevented poachers from
hunting the rhinos down whenever the opportunity arises. Annual floods
are also a major problem for both the animals and the sanctuary authorities.
Guards are usually deployed at night to keep a vigil on the animal population,
which tends to cross the boundaries of the sanctuary, and roam for distances
as far as 300 to 400 square kilometres. Though incapcitated by limited
infrastructure and facilities, the caretakers of the sanctuary take some
pride in performing their duties.
Nov 7, 2005
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