Barefaced in the Park

Barefaced in the Park

The Satyamangalam forests -- the natural habitat of Veerappan, India's best known poacher -- may be a long way from Jim Corbett National Park in the new state of Uttaranchal, but it is home to the same beasts, it appears. The grisly evidence of the culling of at least half a dozen elephants that has recently surfaced in the park testifies to the rampant poaching that is going on there. Let it be stated for the record that this forest, which stretches over 1,300 sq km of land along the foothills of the Himalayas, is arguably the country's most prestigious national park. The Capital's elite have made it something of a habit to holiday there and, in the early seventies, it was selected as the first project site for the ambitious Operation Tiger, which sought to protect the world's most powerful predator from the poacher. Unfortunately, neither of these attributes seems to have made the park's environs any the safer for the animals it seeks to showcase. Nor, for that matter, the provisions of the Conventionon International Trade in Endangered Species of wild fauna and flora (CITES), under which a substance like ivory is banned internationally. This may have lowered its value but has by no means ended international trade in it. The targeting of male elephants, therefore, is a chilling reminder that poaching, along with the continuing habitat destruction, has the potential of seriously undermining the country's biological diversity.

Today, in the best traditions of bolting the stable door once the horse has fled, there is a flurry of activity. A Cabinet committee has decided that the fine for the violation of the provisions of the Forest Act be increased from Rs 500 to Rs 5,000 forthwith. Four battalions of the Provincial Armed Constabulary have been despatched post-haste to nab the killers. Even CBI investigators have now appeared on the scene of crime. But while a couple of ``poachers'' may be nabbed, such piecemeal interventions will make very little difference to an activity that has brought the tiger to the brink of extinction; an activity which is linked to the flourishing international trade in wildlife parts; an activity that is fuelled by the drug trade. The poaching mafia is, by no means, small beer. It is well-armed, not just in terms of guns and ammunition -- indeed the latest evidence points to the use of new implements for animal slaughter -- but in terms of political patronage as well. And what does the Corbett Parkhave to protect itself against these criminals? Some 400-odd staff, equipped with some outdated firearms and a few walkie-talkies. There are an estimated 120 posts currently lying vacant there and the few vehicles for patrolling that are available invariably end up being used to ferry the big shots in the forest service and visiting VIPs around.

So does anyone care to dust down the recommendations of a committee appointed by the Delhi High Court, which had declared five years ago that protecting India's rich wildlife required a multi-sectoral, multi-pronged approach? The suggestions range from specially training and equipping forest officers and guards; shoring up anti-poaching measures by establishing an intelligence gathering network and -- most important -- involving forest communities in the protection of wildlife. Does all this sound familiar?