HT Bureau
GUWAHATI, March 28: Member volunteers of Rapid Response Units (RRU) operating in various human-elephant conflict (HEC) affected areas in eastern Assam districts are entrusted with the important responsibility of raising early alarms over the presence of wild elephants in the proximity of human settlements to avoid human-elephant confrontations as much as possible in the greater interest of coexistence.
These RRU members, who are closely networked through WhatsApp groups, resort to fast dissemination of information among the group members as soon as they spot wild elephants close to human habitats. They constantly monitor movements of elephant herds.
These RRUs have been formed in certain HEC-affected areas of five eastern Assam districts of Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Majuli, Sibsagar, and Jorhat by the biodiversity conservation organisation Aaranyak and the British Asian Trust with support from the Darwin Initiatives.
As many as 117 RRU members were recently trained by experts in a series of training programs organised by Aaranyak-British Asian Trust during March 19 to 21 last in Tinsukia, Sibsagar, and Jorhat districts.
Precisely speaking, such training was held at Basa Gaon of Sadiya in Tinsukia district, Charaguwa High School at Charaguwa Grant village around Panidihing Bird Sanctuary in Sivasagar district, and at Hatisal Chapori village in Jhanjimukh locality of Jorhat district.
Members of anti-depredation squads (ADS) of state Forest Department and other forest staff also attended the training programs besides RRU members. Each of these training programs comprises a theory session equipped with substantive presentations by conservation scientist Dr Bibhuti Prasad Lahkar and Aaranyak official Anjan Baruah preceded by a brief session of introduction on Aaranyak by officials Zakir Islam Bora and Niranjan Bhuyan who also explained in detail the objectives for the creation of RRUs. Aaranyak’s researcher Rubul Tanti explained morphological characteristics to identify elephants in a herd, their distribution, and various causes of growing conflict in north-east India during the series of training programs.
He also focused on various roles and responsibilities that RRU members would be playing in their villages on various issues related to conflict. Anjan Baruah explained various mitigation tools for minimising human-elephant conflict and facilitating coexistence.
Pre and post-evaluation exercises were conducted to assess the outcome of training programs. Several other staff members of Aaranyak including Rimpee Moran, Tonmoi Priya Gogoi, Debojit Gogoi, Tibrajyoti Gogoi, Deepjyoti Buragohain, Chiranjib Kalita, Ananta Kalita, Lakhinath Taye, and village champions Maya Gogoi, Nihar Ranjan Gogoi, Bidya Borbora, Makhon Kalita coordinated these programs.
