 Reference Base  The greater one-horned rhino of Assam is threatened by po... |
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| Location: |
Asia - South Asia - India |
| Subject: |
Distribution - Poaching |
| Species: |
Indian Rhino |
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Poachers can enter Kaziranga easily as there is no natural barrier on the southern boundary of the Park. On the northern side, the two kilometre-wide river acts as the boundary. Fishermen are allowed to fish there, however, even at night and sometimes they bring in rifles (.303s and .315s) secretly and collude with illegal hunters. Most of the rhinos are killed with guns (see Table 6). Poaching gangs consist of around four to six people: two may carry guns, one cuts off the horn and perhaps another helper carries some food; there is also a field man, usually a local villager, who guides the gang in and out of the Park. The poachers are mainly Nagas (originally from Nagaland State), immigrants from Bangladesh and the Karbi tribe from the Karbi Anglong Hills on the southern side of the Park. They often enter the Park when it is dark. The poachers are indiscriminate, killing whatever rhinos they find first, including calves. They take the animal's horn, and occasionally the nails and tail. There is no time to take the meat. The gangs usually do not camp inside the Park because it is too risky and, after shooting a rhino, quickly leave with the horn.
There is a total of 437 field staff in Kaziranga, all engaged in anti-poaching work. About 284 forest guards and game watchers carry out foot patrols in rota in the Park during the day and night, usually in pairs, equipped with a gun and torch. Poachers are, however, rarely caught inside the Park, as it is easy to hide in long grass or forests.
There has been an increased availability of modern guns in Assam due to the political disturbances in the state, and thus pit poaching has become less common in Kaziranga since 1987 (see Table 6). Until 1980 most of the rhinos in Kaziranga were poached using pit traps, whereby a rhino falls into a deep pit dug in a rhino's regular pathway (Martin 1983). However, one pit poaching incident did occur in Kaziranga as recently as September 1993. This rhino must have fallen into a triangular pit, which had been covered with leaves, and the animal had its horn removed while it was still alive, and died later of starvation. Electrocution from wires booked to a power line (which runs along the Park's southern side) is another problem. This form of poaching was first seen in 1989 when three rhinos were killed in that year from the live wires which were suspended over the rhinos' pathways. Forest guards now patrol along the power line at night. thus reducing poaching by this method (see Table 6).
Poaching is most frequent during the dry season, in the first few months of the year, when every part of the Park is accessible. An organizer provides the guns and pays the shooters about $320 (10,000 rupees) to $640 and the others in the gang up to $320 each. for one horn weighing on average 722 grams: poachers are not usually paid by horn weight. Thus the average poaching gang received in 1993 the equivalent of $1,550 to $2,220 per kilo of rhino horn. The organizer sells the horn to the second trader for about $6,008 to $12,800 per kilo.
Poaching reached a peak in Kaziranga in 1992 with two rhinos killed in pits, two by electrocution and 45 by gunshots (see Table 6). This serious killing continued in 1993: 39 rhinos had been poached by early December, with 37 killed with guns and two in pits. The western sector of the Park has the greatest concentration of rhinos, numbering over 600, and poaching in 1993 was acute here. For example, in February 1993 a villager guided three Naga poachers into this sector. When the gang came out of the Park an encounter took place with Park authorities. However, the forest guards are not allowed to kill poachers outside the Park. The guards instead wounded one person. The Nagas ran into the hills in the chaos and the local guide, who was holding the horn, took it to sell in the Nagaon area. Police recovered four.315 guns and ammunition and arrested some people involved. They were released after only one-and-a-half months' imprisonment.
The most common way poachers are caught is through an informer. Although there is now virtually no money for an intelligence system, nor for informants, information does sometimes trickle in. During our visit, on 16 December 1993 a raid was conducted in the Karbi Anglong Hills by the Forest Department along with the police. These hills are a favourite refuge for poachers and guns as most areas cannot be approached by vehicle. The guns are all illegal, and come mainly from Nagaland, Burma and Bangladesh. Six people were arrested in possession of a US-made carbine, a 12-bore shotgun and a handmade pistol. The leader, a Bodo tribesman, escaped. He is known to have killed two rhinos in 1993. Such poachers, when caught, usually get bail after only about 15 days and do not go to prison for this particular incident again. Bail costs $160 to $320 and the advocates, who are often hired by the gang organizers, manage to spin out the court hearings for years. It is very difficult to prove legally that a person has killed a rhino. Furthermore, information extracted by force is not accepted by a magistrate.
Although, according to the Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972, a convicted poacher can get five years in prison, this never happens. Worse still, the traders are very rarely caught, although many names are known. In 1989 two people were apprehended carrying two rhino horns on a bus, but there has been no conviction yet. In practice, the law is not a deterrent to poaching. The real deterrent is the knowledge that poachers will be shot on sight in the Park (at least five were killed in 1993) or beaten up outside the Park in order to give information to the Forest Department (see Table 7).
In 1989, a well-known trader was murdered by the United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA), a political organization which during its early days tried to protect the rhinos (Vigne & Martin, 1991). Although this illegal group of extremists has an official policy of not killing rhinos due to local pride in rhinos, there is evidence that certain members in the group have been involved recently in poaching and trading rhino horns in order to buy guns from Bangladesh and Burma. ULFA is less strong now, however, as some major arrests were made by the government and some members have surrendered.
Poaching has definitely increased recently, and efforts must be made by the Police outside Kaziranga to break the trade links. The rhino horns are smuggled out through Calcutta, Siliguri in West Bengal, Nagaland, Burma and Bhutan; but details are not known as there is no money for an effective intelligence network.
More funding is urgently needed for Kaziranga's anti-poaching efforts. Presently there are inadequate wireless networks for the forest guards in the field, A further essential is for more modern guns. At present, Kaziranga has 170 .315 rifles and 47 12-bore shot guns, but not all are in working order. It has been suggested by an Army officer (WWF, 1993) that ex-servicemen should train the forest-guards in the use of weapons, minor tactics including ambushes, and teach them how to maintain their guns and radio sets. The forest guards are presently no match for the poaching gangs.
The morale of the forest guards must be raised by improvinig their terms of service. They need new jerseys, boots, socks, raincoats, torches, knives and binoculars, as well as tents. Several men we saw on were wearing tattered clothes and were barefoot. They should also be provided with free rations, especially since they have to run two households as their families have to live outside the park. The camps are in disrepair and should have proper mosquito nets, blankets and tarpaulins for the leaking roofs. The staff need better medical facilities. Medicine and also a good veterinarian should be available for the 43 domesticated elephants in the Park.
Furthermore, the number of forest guards must be increased. Presently there are only three men per camp (there are 107 to 113 camps, all inside the Park). Two men patrol together all night and the third cooks and cleans leaving them barely time to sleep; in theory they are on duty 24 hours a day and are usually exhausted. Ideally there should be four men per camp allowing more time for rest, Out of the 437 field staff, at least 10% will be off sick and at least 10% on casual leave; the Director of Kaziranga, S.K. Sen, cannot afford to give them their much needed month's annual leave. Furthermore, life insurance cover plus adequate compensation for loss of life or disability should be provided by the government. Courageous work should be rewarded with 'decorations' leading to promotions (Deb Roy, 1993). The field staff on the whole are very good and hard-working and many have a great knowledge about rhinos, but they must be given respect and must have pride in doing theirjobs; some of the men in the camps we visited complained to the Director about their poor working conditions and looked miserable. The Director's reply to their requests for rice and clothes was, 'I will try'. The field men are nevertheless dedicated and work diligently on patrol; but how much longer can this last as poaching gangs become more active?
The Director of Kaziranga believes that the best way to stop the poachers is to prevent them from entering the Park. The Director would like to build a minimum of 40 watch-towers along the southern Park boundary with clear visibility from one tower to the next. A timber tower, 12 metres high, would cost about $1,130. Surveillance towers would help to reduce the workload of the staff. On the northern boundary several speed-boats are needed for patrolling. Also, more jeeps (the Park has only five) and search-lights are required.
Probably the most cost-effective way of stopping the illegal rhino horn trade is by providing adequate funds for an intelligence network whereby informers are rewarded for their information. At present, funds for this are grossly inadequate; a mere $1,450 was available for 1993. The Forest Department also needs more support from the police for law enforcement, as Forest staff can do little to stop poachers and traders beyond the Park boundaries.
Table 6: Rhino mortality in Kaziranga National Park.
Year Poaching Total poaching Natural death Total mortality
Pit Gun Electrocution
1980 11 0 0 11 58 69
1981 22 2 0 24 39 63
1982 19 6 0 25 48 73
1983 31 6 0 37 46 83
1984 14 14 0 28 50 78
1985 23 21 0 44 37 81
1986 18 27 0 45 38 83
1987 6 17 0 23 41 64
1988 7 17 0 24 105 129
1989 12 29 3 44 54 98
1990 4 29 2 35 57 92
1991 4 18 1 23 79 102
1992 2 45 2 49 66 115
1993 2 37 0 39 54 93 (to 12 Nov)
Source: Sen 1993
Table 7.Encounters and raids in Kaziranga National Park.
Year Number of poachers Total arms Total ammunition Horns recovered
Killed Arrested recovered recovered
1985 2 10 3 11 11
1986 2 43 5 0 9
1987 3 29 3 0 2
1988 3 13 1 7 1
1989 2 18 1 0 11
1990 3 49 11 104 6
1991 4 25 4 7 9
1992 9 58 9 96 9
1993 5 67 11 49 4
End.
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