Senior officials of the state forest department held a meeting at Madarihatin Alipurdaur on Sunday and announced a slew of directives to ensure tourist safety at the Jaldapara National Park, a day after a mother rhino attacked a tourist SUV.
The rhino, who had its calf with it, attacked the SUV with six tourists and toppled the vehicle. While five tourists, the driver and the accompanying guide, escaped with minor injuries, the sixth tourist, a woman from Calcutta, ended up with a fractured left hand.
Sources in the department said it was decided to clear the bushes on both sides of the roads through which the vehicles carry tourists during the car safari.“This will increase visibility. In case there is any wild animal near the road, the drivers can spot it much ahead and maintain a safe distance to avert attacks,” said a forest official.
The foresters asserted that during the safari, no one is allowed to get down from the vehicles in any place other than the watchtowers. “Also, the guides and drivers will have to brief the tourists so that the latter does not make any move that can cause a wild animal to feel threatened or provoked,” he added.
Every car that carries tourists into the park will have to carry a first-aid kit. “We also had a meeting with guides and drivers. Soon, a training programme would be organised for them. I have sent a report of Saturday’s incident to senior officials. If they give some more instructions for the safety of tourists, those would also be implemented in due course,” said Deepak M., the divisional forest officer of Jaldapara wildlife division.
On Sunday, cars did carry tourists into the park on the safari. Ratan Debnath, a tourist from Calcutta who joined the safari with his family, said they were all initially worried because Saturday’s incident played on their minds, but gradually they enjoyed the safari.
“We believe it was a stray incident. Tourists should act responsibly during the visit and not insist drivers move closer to wild animals to click photos. It is better to maintain a safe distance,” he said.
The car owners, while speaking on the incident, said they demanded additional security arrangements for tourists. They said that in places like Kaziranga National Park of Assam— also a rhino habitat— armed forest guards escort tourists in vehicles.
“We want similar arrangements here. The forest department will have to take the call,” said Gopal Sanyashi, secretary of the car owners’ association.
