For wildlife staff fighting poachers and flood fury in Kaziranga National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Assam, help and inspiration has come from an unexpected corner.
Even as poaching combined with flood fury taking a toll on wildlife in the national park, a group of leading singers, artists and wildlife activists in Assam have join hands for a 'save wildlife campaign' urging people living near the wildlife protection area to contribute their mite to protect the precious one-horned rhino and other animals.
Assam's leading singer, Zubin Garg who shot to national fame last year for his chart buster 'Ya Ali' number in the Hindi movie Gangster led a daylong campaign on Wednesday by holding roadshows in four of places in different ranges of the sprawling 600 square km national park.
Most parts of the famed wildlife sanctuary and rhino abode, located on the south bank of the Brahmaputra river in Nagaon and Golaghat districts of Assam, are now submerged under floodwaters even as animals have fled to either raised platforms within the park or across the national highway 37 on the south to the hills of Karbi Anglong for flood-time shelter.
The poachers have so far killed three flood-hit deers in the national park while six others run over by speeding vehicles while trying to cross over the highway. Park authorities have imposed speed limits for vehicles while traveling the stretch of the highway within the park area for the safety of flood-hit animals.
The wildlife park is also facing serious threat from an organised gang of well-armed poachers who have so far killed ten precious one-horned rhinos so far in 2007.
The state forest and wildlife department is trying hard to raise the awareness level among the people living in the periphery of the national park against the poaching and seeking their cooperation to tackle the menace.
The strength of wildlife staff in Kaziranga Park is augmented through two additional armed companies of personnel as the park is running short of wildlife personnel to face organized and well-equipped poachers.
The group of popular singers, leading painters, wildlife activists in coordination with the authority of Kaziranga National Park staged road performances at Bokakhat, Kohora, Bagori and Burapahar within the Park area on Wednesday exhorting people living in the vicinity of the world heritage site to come out to protect the wildlife.
Zubin Garg and his co singers sang a song especially composed for objective of the campaign.
