Assam denies allegations of anomalies in Kaziranga rhino count

In the 14th rhino census carried out in KNPTR in March last year, authorities had stated that the total number of endangered animals had increased from 2,413 in 2018 to 2,613—a jump of 200 animals

The Assam government has denied allegations of anomalies in the census of rhinos carried out last year at Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve (KNPTR) as claimed by a right to information (RTI) and wildlife activist.

RTI and wildlife activist Rohit Choudhury had filed an RTI over the anomalies. (Ducati India | Twitter)

In a status report sent to the union ministry of environment forest and climate change, Assam principal chief conservator of forest and head of forest force (PCCF & HOFF) MK Yadava termed the claims by Rohit Choudhury, one of the region’s most respected conservationists, “totally false”.

In the reply sent on Tuesday to additional director general of forests (wildlife) (under union environment, forest and climate change ministry), Yadava also sought “suitable action” against Choudhury for bringing disrepute to the park, the world’s largest habitat of endangered one-horned rhinos.

However, Yadava’s reply itself has some inconsistencies with past statements from the state government.

In the reply sent on Tuesday, for instance, he stated that “actual counting of rhinos” didn’t take place on March 26 and 27 last year (unlike mentioned by Choudhury in his allegation) and that there was a “counting of rhinos sighted”. He added that this was supplemented by a sample survey in 33 compartments of the park.

However, in the press release issued by KNPTR on March 29 last year following the census, the director of KNPTR Jatindra Sarma clearly mentioned that actual counting of rhinos was done on March 26 and 27 and a sample survey was conducted in 26 randomly selected compartments of the park on March 28.

“Now Yadava says “counting of rhinos sighted“ and “in total, 33 compartments were revisited, recounted”. Who is telling the truth? It should be decided among the KNPTR director (Sarma) and PCCF & HOFF (Yadava),” Choudhury said on Wednesday.

Choudhury’s concern over the numbers, which saw him reaching out to the union ministry of environment was prompted by a disproportionate increase in numbers following the sample survey.

In February this year, the wildlife division of the union environment, forest and climate change ministry and the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), which falls under the same ministry, asked the Assam chief wildlife warden (CWW) to submit status report on the census “at the earliest” and “urgently” following allegations of anomalies by Choudhury.

In the 14th rhino census carried out in KNPTR in March last year, authorities stated that the total number of endangered animals increased from 2413 in 2018 to 2613—a jump of 200 animals.

Questioning the census process and the official numbers, Choudhury filed RTI applications, and an analysis of replies received by him from the forest department showed 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 a sample survey was conducted in 22 randomly selected compartments (of the total 84 in the park) on March 28 in which 1064 rhinos were counted— much more than the 472 rhinos counted by enumerators in the same 22 blocks on March 26-27, helping shore up the numbers.

To be sure, this data is also inconsistent with the release from KNPTR in terms of the number of compartments surveyed.

Adding that the figures were “statistically unsound” Choudhury wrote to the union environment and forest ministry in January this year seeking an inquiry into the “grave anomalies”.

Yadava also refuted Choudhury’s allegation that no observers were present during the sample survey and mentioned in his reply that there was an independent enumerator and one media observer on that day.

Explaining the increase of rhinos in the sample survey (in the blocks where it was undertaken) from 472 on March 26 and 27 to 1064 on March 28, he said: “If the recounted compartment has less than twice of the either count, then the average of the two counts is taken as final tally, and if the difference is more than twice of one over the other, the lower count is rejected as undercount and the higher count is retained as final tally”.

However, even an internal inquiry report of the PCCF (Wildlife) into the alleged anomalies in the census submitted in February this year mentioned that the park’s officials were not able to explain the logic behind using such a method of arriving at a final count.

“Rhino data of Kaziranga is very sensitive as the park is prone to poaching involving national and international gangs of poachers. This is the first time in the history of KNP that compartment wise data has been made public and he (Choudhury) has taken liberty, despite restraint by the park director, to publish the same in media. This way Rohit Choudhury has posed serious threat to the park security,” Yadava alleged in his reply.