Zubin Garg leads anti-poaching campaign in Kaziranga

Well-known personalities, including Bollywood singer Zubin Garg, have joined hands in a campaign to sensitise people to protect wildlife and fight poaching.

"Let us pledge to protect wildlife by helping forest officials and conservation organisations to fight against poachers," Garg said after an awareness rally organised here by Assam's forest department and wildlife organisations on Wednesday.

On the occasion, artists Pulok Gogoi, Noni Borpujari and Champak Barbara painted pictures of wildlife. Garg also released in the Panbari Reserve Forest here three hog deer that were affected by the current floods and appealed to people to help the distressed animals.

The singer regaled the gathering with a special song he had composed on wildlife. People later burnt an effigy of a rhino poacher who was recently caught by officials on the outskirts of the national park.

Due to an increase in the level of the Brahmaputra river, nearly 50 per cent of the park has been inundated. Many animals, mostly hog deer, have been washed away by flood waters.

"On an average we treat two hog deer everyday that are brought to our centre," said veterinarian Anjan Talukdar of the Wildlife Trust of India's Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation where the animals are looked after.