What do you do in a tiger reserve if you are attacked and the arms available are unserviceable?
And oh, there are not enough binoculars, let alone cameras, for recording evidence. This is the Kamlang Tiger Reserve in Arunachal Pradesh.
All this has been revealed in the Management Effectiveness Evaluation report of Kamlang Tiger Reserve, which was notified only in 2017.
KTR has a locational advantage of being surrounded by forest areas-Namdapha Tiger Reserve in the south, Kamlang Reserve Forest in the west and north and an unclassed state forest to its east. The larger landscape is connected to the Hukawng Wildlife Sanctuary in Myanmar.
The uniqueness of KTR lies in its astonishing biodiversity and endemism. It is a part of the larger Eastern Himalayan Biodiversity HotSpot, some parts of which are explored and many more are yet to be explored.
It is home to critically endangered animal species like the Malayan sun bear, hoolock gibbon, white-bellied heron and capped langur.
The total area of KTR is 783 sq km of which 696 sq km is the core area.
KTR has 24 villages around its periphery, and the nearest villages (Gundri and Kamja) are about 7 km from its boundary. There is almost no anthropogenic pressure from the villages.
“Most of the areas have difficult and inaccessible terrain and lack sufficient protection infrastructure such as roads, patrolling paths, check posts, watch towers and bridges. The core area of 696 sq km has only four anti-poaching camps, and these are not deep inside the tiger reserve but are confined primarily to the border areas and concentrated in a very small part of the tiger reserve. Hence, the tiger reserve management is not in a position to maintain a watch over the entire area, both through manpower or use of modern gadgets and technology,” the MEE report says.
It has only 20 frontline staff positions filled up against the sanctioned strength of 46. “Accordingly, a large part of the tiger reserve is still not manned, and many areas are rarely patrolled by the staff,” the report says.
“The arms available with KTR are unserviceable. They do not have binoculars in the required numbers, and there are no cameras for recording evidence. There is a lack of MSTrIPES-compatible mobile phones, and all deficiencies have a negative impact on the conservation efforts of KTR and the morale of the staff,” the report said.
Despite difficult working conditions and an inhospitable terrain fraught with dangers of different types, many of the staff, including the contingency staff, are not covered under any insurance scheme.
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Kamlang Tiger Reserve does not have a sanctioned post of a veterinary doctor. The veterinary services are presently being provided by the veterinarians of Wildlife Trust of India, Tinsukia, which is an approximately 4-hour journey from Wakro, the headquarters of Kamlang Tiger Reserve. “Hence in cases of acute emergencies, this may prove costly,” the report said.
Scant tourist facilities are available. These include a track of about 1 km length from Sinbarai Camp. Another tourist site is Glaw Lake which is spread over 82 ha. Both these areas need upgrading in addition to the establishment of an interpretation centre.
“The existing system of providing guides, drivers, hikers, etc., who accompany visitors, is informal without the active involvement of the tiger reserve management. It is important that the services provided to the tourists also be formalised,” the report said.
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