With the rains either destroying or damaging many forest routes in the Rajaji national park, the department personnel are undertaking patrolling on trained elephants in Rajaji. Apart from facilitating continuation of patrolling in areas difficult to access by vehicles or by foot, patrolling on elephant back is also providing practical experience to the mahouts and helping acclimatise Rajaji's four trained elephants to such work.
Talking to The Pioneer, the Rajaji field director SP Subudhi said that though patrolling on elephant back is undertaken in Corbett national park, such patrolling was started in Rajaji last month with many routes being damaged or destroyed. "We have four trained elephants -- two males and two females. Patrolling on elephant back will not only acclimatise the pachyderms to work, but also help our mahouts gain more practical experience," he said.
Apart from the patrolling on elephants, the national park staff is also undertaking long range patrolling. "We have identified 22 routes in nine ranges of the national park for long range patrolling by our staff. Each of these routes is between 30 to 35 km long and takes two nights and three days to cover," said the field director, adding that each team on long range patrol consists of between eight to 10 personnel headed by a forester.
Wildlife of Uttarakhand has been in the sights of poachers and criminals supplying wildlife contraband to the international market. Since the start of the rainy season, the department had issued an alert in the State. The State is also trying to get the Rajaji national park converted into a tiger reserve.
However, human habitations and highways passing through this national park make it vulnerable from the view point of wildlife protection. The arrival of Kanwarias which is expected to end in a couple of days, had also increased human interference in the national park.
Wildlife activists point out that those living in settlements adjoining the national park are involved in poaching activities. At such a time, it is hoped that elephant patrol and long range patrolling will have a positive impact on the wildlife security at Rajaji.