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Steps to save Kaziranga wildlife from floods Guwahati: Well ahead a furious rainy season, the authorities of Kaziranga National Park in Assam are taking steps to control damages due to possible floods. Monsoon usually begins in June and the meteorological department has predicted normal rains this year. Situated on the low-lying areas of the Brahmaputra river valley, Kaziranga is among the most flood-prone places in the state.
Last year at least 20 wild animals died due to floods and large areas of the park were waterlogged, forcing the animals to take refuge on the national highway or move to nearby Karbi Anglong Hills. Director of the Kaziranga National Park NN Basu said adequate measures have been taken to lessen the hardships due to possible floods. "We go for annual patrolling duty inside the park, all the camps are there. Most of the pople remain inside the park during the floods. We have all the things ready. The staff will start moving as the flood comes, the mechanised modes and the OBM's (ambulances) are also being readied," said Basu. A special rescue and rehabilitation centre is in a state of readiness. "We are almost ready. We have four vehicles ready. We have four veterinary doctors and 20 volunteers. So we are ready to face any casualties in the coming flood," said Rathin Barman, manager of the rescue centre. The centre, set up last year, rescued 68 wild animals injured in floods or accidents. More than 60 artificial high rise platforms have also been erected by the authorities to save animals from floods. In 1988, at least 1200 animals including 48 rhinos perished in the floods that ravaged large parts of Assam. Operation Save Baby Ridleys (Go to Top) Hrishikulya (Orissa): With each Olive Ridley turtle laying an estimated 120 eggs, the large coastline stretches of Orissa are packed with hatchlings in the months of April and May. Dozens of wildlife enthusiasts are engaged in saving thousands of the endangered baby Olive Ridleys who take their first tentative steps towards the sea at the Hrishikulya beach this time.
An estimated 2,00,000 Olive Ridleys have laid their eggs on this beach during the nesting season which started on March 9. The Orissa government and environmentalists have joined hands to make the beach a safe place for nesting. "This year particularly in Hrishikulya beach a lot of new measures have been taken which are very extraordinary and wonderful. Nets have been strung up by the forest department as well as Operation Kachchap to cover 1.2 km of the beach length where the maximum nesting took place. So this prevented a lot of hatchlings from getting disoriented and losing their lives," said Bishwajit Mohanty, turtle conservationist and Secretary of Operation Kachchap, a project to preserve the nesting beaches of Olive Ridleys. At least 40-50 per cent of the eggs have already been lost due to beach erosion caused by strong summer winds and high waves. Volunteers and residents of the area have been keeping a close vigil since the nesting season started in March. For some of the local residents, the annual visitors have an aura of divinity. "The small turtles are like Gods, and we take care of them by collecting them and leaving them in the sea. Otherwise they get eaten away by crows and jackals. We can never let the turtles die like that," said Basanti, a local resident. The young ones take to the ocean currents for foraging grounds and return to breed after 7-15 years. Studies say only one out of every 1,000 hatchlings normally reaches adulthood. The Olive Ridley turtle, which can grow up to 75 cm in length, is found in tropical regions of the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans. Such large concentrations only occur at a few sites in the world, with Orissa being one of the most important. But if Orissa is the turtles' largest nesting ground, wildlife activists say it is also their biggest graveyard. Though protected under India's Wildlife Protection Act, in the past five years over 50,000 turtles have either been mangled by fishing trawler propellers or suffocated in gill nets. The Orissa government has declared the whole nesting area a marine sanctuary and has banned mechanised trawlers in the state. Besides, it is also urging local fishermen to include Turtle Excluding Devices in their fishing equipment.ANI Copyright © 1999-2002, IndiaTravelTimes.com. All rights reserved. |
