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WWF to inquire into Kaziranga calamity

The World Wide Fund for Nature proposes to send a fact-finding team to Assam's Kaziranga National Park, where recent floods claimed hundreds of wild animals.

The team, which would look into the root causes of the calamity and explore ways to prevent a future occurrence, is scheduled to reach the park once the floods recede.

The 430-square-kilometre park is at present under more than 15 feet of water.

A WWF (India) spokesman said 31 rhinos, 300 hog deer, four elephants, 15 wild buffaloes, 13 wild boars, seven swamp deer, four sambhar and one bear were drowned in the floods, which was at its worst between September 4 and 7. The park staff rescued several animals, including a rhino calf.

The WWF, headquartered at Geneva, had earlier sent communication equipment, night vision binoculars, a small truck, besides money to buy boats. It had also provided a tranquilliser gun to sedate marooned animals so that they could be moved to safety.

The spokesman said the government, particularly the environment ministry, should take up the matter very seriously. Money should be released from the prime minister's relief fund.

He said WWF special representative in Guwahati, Dr A K Goswami, recently in Kaziranga for an on-the-spot assessment, had provided a ''fairly good account'' of damages.

Dr Goswami's report appreciated the role that the park staff and state government officials played in relief operations. The park staff, it said, was maintaining round-the-clock vigil, trying to make the highlands safe. Officials said it was risky to go to the highlands as the surviving animals there were hungry and would attack on sight.

RELATED REPORT:
Floods drown Kaziranga in sea of financial woes

UNI

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