Assam yet to reply on anomalies in rhino count

The Assam government is yet to reply to a request from the Union ministry of environment, forest and climate change to submit a report on alleged anomalies in the last rhino census undertaken in the state’s Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve (KNPTR).

In February, the wildlife division of the ministry and the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), which falls under the same ministry, asked Assam’s chief wildlife warden (CWW) to submit a status report on the census “at the earliest” and “urgently”.

The request for status reports on the exact number of rhinos in Kaziranga, the world’s largest habitat for one-horned rhinos, came following a submission made by RTI and wildlife activist Rohit Choudhury.

In the 14th rhino census carried out in Kaziranga last March, state wildlife officials said the total number of endangered animals had increased from 2,413 in 2018 to 2,613.

Questioning the census process and the official numbers, Choudhury filed RTI applications; an analysis of replies received by him from the forest department showed a difference in the number of rhinos listed by enumerators of the census and a subsequent tally made public later.

Data sheets submitted by enumerators after surveys done on March 26-27 last year showed the total number of rhinos in Kaziranga as 2,042.

But the state forest department then conducted a “sample survey” in 22 randomly selected compartments (of the total 84 in the park) on March 28 and counted 1064 rhinos — much more than the 472 rhinos counted by enumerators in the same 22 blocks on March 26-27.

The number was then revised upward.

The RTI reply revealed that no independent or media observers were present during the sample survey or during computation of final data and animal estimation rules were not followed during the census.

Adding that the figures were “statistically unsound” Choudhury wrote to the union environment and forest ministry in January this year seeking inquiry into the “grave anomalies”. The Centre wrote to the Assam government in February seeking replies on the allegations.

“We are looking into the requests made by the union ministry. I will be able to give more details of the same after a few days,” Assam forest minister Chandra Mohan Patowary said when questioned about the delay.

Newly appointed chief wildlife warden Sandeep Kumar, who took charge this week following removal of his predecessor MY Yadava over alleged misuse of tiger conservation funds, couldn’t be reached for his comment. Director of KNPTR, Jatindra Sarma, declined to comment on the issue.

“It is astonishing to see that despite the seriousness of the issue, the Assam government has not replied to the Union forest ministry and NTCA even after a considerable amount of time has elapsed,” said Choudhury.