MYSORE: If tigers in the Bandipur National Park (BNP) have evaded the poachers, it is thanks to the forest guards. And these men are the first line of defence against poachers. Rajappa, a forest guard at Alagowdana Katte camp armed with a rifle and a wireless phone, sets off with others guards to patrol the forest and visit all the sensitive areas - forest state borders, caves and waterholes. He can take two days off once in ten days and he uses this time to visit his family.
It is no cakewalk for them. Rajappa said they walk 7-8 km a day, battling forest fires, helping villagers chase away elephants that enter fields in the fringe areas, taking on poachers and timber smugglers. However, most of them are not permanent employees but paid on Petty Cash Payment (PCP).
Across 11 ranges and 41 anti-poaching camps in Bandipur, there are around 400 watchers burning the midnight oil trying to thwart poaching. Some watchers have been serving since the days of sandalwood smuggler Veerappan.
''During the early days of my career, Veerappan and his gang of poachers were at their peak. I was hired as a watcher around Kallanbetta, where Veerappan used to frequent,'' recalled Chikkamadaiah, an experienced watcher at the Volakallare camp. He has been in the job for 34 years and is one of the permanent employees of the forest department.
He added: ''On the one hand, there were the wild animals. On the other, there was the sandalwood bandit. Fearing him, many watchers quit the jobs. After his death, poaching incidents have dropped drastically, and our job has become simpler," he said.
Another PCP watcher working for the past 14 years said that they had put their lives at risk many times in their fight against poachers. He said their work often went unrecognized or unrewarded and only officials took credit at the end of the day.
Improved facilities
H C Kantharaju, conservator of forests and director, Bandipur Tiger Reserve(BTR), says conditions of the APCs improved in the recent days. The camps which just had kerosene lamps for lighting are now replaced with solar lights and solar charging units.
While there was lack of communication between the APCs in the past, now they are equipped with walkie talkie and static sets, easing the job of tracking poachers, added Kantharaju.
Funding improved, uniforms and shoes were distributed, salaries became regular and food supplies increased. They are now given nutritious food and PCP watchers are paid Rs 236 per day. They now have enough rations for two meals a day and have been provided bags and water bottles to help them carry food when they go out for their daily patrols, he said.
