The journey of Kaziranga National Park started in 1905 when it was proposed as a reserve forest and was open to visitors from 1938. Finally, in 1968 through the Assam National Park Act, it became a National Park and was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985. It attracts tourists from all over the world for its unique one-horned rhinoceros. The rhino is an appealing animal with its bulky stature but has amazing agility. It can run at speeds up to 50 km/h which makes it the fastest land mammal above 1000 kilograms. They have poor eyesight but amazing smell and hearing capability. Their horns are made of keratin protein which is also a distinctive trait.
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Assam has one of the highest ecotourism potentials in the country and the government is providing many schemes, to spread awareness campaigns. With the recent surge in tourist inflow, the quality and safety concerns of tourists are also increasing. The eerie video of a family’s narrow escape from a rhino chase is now everywhere on social media. But the real story behind the incident is no more a mystery. The safari started at the Kaziranga National Park’s Bagori range when a family hopped in for a joyride but later had to face the unforeseen. While gazing at the mesmerizing rhinoceros, the driver instantly accelerated the vehicle and a young girl standing on the jeep toppled. The situation worsened as her mother also plunged out to save her daughter and one of the rhinos charged towards the duo. Both were fortunately saved but the incident continued with other safari jeeps around. This is not the first case of reckless driving by the safari pilots; many such incidents remain undisclosed inside the woods. Driving urge and entertaining tourists through risky means was already a part of the jeep safari not only in Assam but also in other parts of the country. Many videos have already surfaced on the internet regarding the misconduct of the drivers, drunk jeep operators, improper driving by underage jeep pilots and accidents while running away from animals. Vehicles used for safari are also decade-old SUVs with negligible safety features; lack of maintenance makes it even worse to rove around the forest. Though the forest department is concerned about this incident and has taken proactive steps to restore discipline among the safari drivers, it must be implemented at a large scale for some positive outcomes.
Stricter guidelines should be put forward and must be one of the top priorities in the ecotourism sector. Every Protected Area in India should maintain a professional standard for their safari services. It is apparent for tourists to anticipate quality in this sector. Kaziranga National Park being one of them should also be brought under stricter regulations for the safari service. Proper training and recruitment process of the drivers should be followed. Driving inside forest areas are mostly done on ‘Off-road’ trails and hence requires some more knowledge and experience. Moreover, the vehicle that runs on these trails daily also takes a toll on the parts. The forest department should also consider upgrading existing safari jeeps and customizing them accordingly with more safety features meant for the purpose. Timely checkups of the vehicles before starting a journey along with alcohol tests via breathalysers should be strictly done to avoid breakdowns in emergencies. Vulnerable habitats inside a protected area should be visited with caution so as not to disrupt their territory. For visitors, proper briefing of the area of the tour and the animals that may be encountered should be done beforehand as an additional safety measure. But the most important point is to maintain a fair distance from the animals. The harsh driving of the SUVs may aggravate animals even more including sudden acceleration of jeeps near wild animals may also cause them to perceive jeeps as threats. Humans should respect the territorial integrity of the wild and careless driving inside the area should not be encouraged at any cost. Maintaining perfect harmony will create even more opportunities for ecotourism in this sector.
Though there are many more ways to create a safe atmosphere amongst visitors, laws regarding jeep safari should be seriously regulated on a large scale in every protected area of our country to grow faith in the ride we provide. Quality and safety in this sector are of outmost importance which reflects the beauty of the protected areas concerned.
(The author is currently working in Agriculture Insurance sector. All views and opinions expressed are author’s own.)