Frustrated with the repeated incidents of poaching of one-horned rhinos inside the protected areas of Assam, the State Government is now planning to impart jungle warfare training to the personnel of elite forest force in Assam — Assam Forest Protection Force (AFPF) so that they can confront the poachers in a better way.
The decision was taken at a meeting recently and the department is talking to the Assam Rifles and the Assam Police for training the AFPF personnel and some other frontline forest staff in advanced skill enhancement training.
“The decision was taken at a high level meeting recently and we have initiated talks with the Assam Police as well as with the Assam Rifles. We are now waiting for a green signal from either of the organisations and we hope to send the first batch of the forest personnel within next one-month time,” said Assam’s Principal Chief Conservation of Forest (Wildlife) RP Agarwala.
“The nature of poaching has changed over the years and now even the militant outfits have entered the poaching and illegal trade of animal parts like the rhino horns. We must train the personnel with advanced techniques and I hope training in jungle warfare will help the AFPF personnel in confronting the poachers in the protected areas of Assam,” he said adding that about 30 personnel will be sent for training in the first batch.
Agarwala said that the State Government had already received the necessary clearance from the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests in this regard. All the personnel of the AFPF deployed in Kaziranga National park will be trained in jungle warfare within a period of next two year, he added.
Assam had witnessed a spate in poaching of one-horned rhino for the last year. According to official statistics, over 30 rhinos have been killed in Assam this year including 25 in Kaziranga National Park, four in Manas National Park, two in Pabitora wildlife sanctuary and three in Orang national park.
Agarwala also said that there is a need to break the international market of rhino horns and said that international organisations like the various organisations of the UN should be engaged to generate awareness internationally against the traditional misbelieve that rhino horns could heal disease or that it can work as aphrodisiac.
He also informed that the Assam Government has also decided to set up four wildlife police stations to be jointly manned by forest and police personnel at Kaziranga, Manas, Pabitora and Orang. “We are also taking up with the Directorate of Forensic laboratory the issue of setting up a forensic laboratory exclusively for the wildlife crimes,” he said.