Even as the BJP-led government in Assam has launched a drive to evict encroachers, over 141 sq km in the state’s national parks and wildlife sanctuaries continue to be under the grip of encroachers. Man-animal conflict meanwhile has left 99 elephants dead in five years, says a report in the Dimapur-based Nagaland Post. Assam Forest and Environment Minister Pramila Rani Brahma told the state assembly in Guwahati last week that of the 141.76 sq km of sanctuary land under encroachment, as much as 42 sq km were in four of the five national parks like Manas, Nameri, DibruSaikhowa and Orang. There, however, were no encroachment in Kaziranga after the last September’s eviction drive.
The minister also disclosed that among the 18 wildlife sanctuaries in Assam, Sonai-Rupai topped the chart of encroachment, others being Amchang wildlife sanctuary in Guwahati, Burachapori, Laokhowa, Bornadi and Bherjan-Borjaon-Padumoni. She also said that 99 wild elephants died due to electrocution, poaching, poisoning and train accidents between 2012 and 2016. Of these, electrocution accounted for the highest elephant deaths (48), followed by train accidents (27), poaching (13) and poisoning (11).
As many as 36 leopards too were killed in Assam in the last five years, of which 27 deaths were caused as a result of “retaliatory killings” after the animals had entered human habitations. From 2012 to 2016 as many as 426 lives were lost, caused by wild elephants. Leopards on the other hand killed one person in 2016. Replying to yet another question, the minister said 101 one-horned rhinos suffered natural deaths in 2016, Kaziranga alone accounted for 93.