The fate of the Sangai

By Iboyaima Laithangbam *

The 4,000 odd displaced villagers who are no sponging off their relatives and friends at safer villages have ventilated their concern over the fate of the brow antlered deer now caught in the cross firing during the search and kill operation code named Summer Storm.

Since numerous bombs had been launched towards the national park and floating bio-mass the widespread fear is that the deer and some other wild beasts must have been killed and maimed. The assurance given by the GOC that adequate care is taken not to inflict any injuries on the deer, is unfortunately, not supported by the appalling goings on.

There were random bombings in the national park either to kill the militants or ferret them out from their well entrenched hideouts. Even if some deer are killed there would be no carcass or the smoking gun once the national park is open to the forest officials. It remains to be seen whether the wildlife wing officials could come out with a discrepancy on the deer population before and after the operation.

A few decades ago the deer had a good chance for survival. But the natural habitat is disturbed by the untrammelled human intrusion and the national park’s area had been whittled down. There is no gainsaying the fact that the deer is poached for selling the venison here and there. At least one carcass of deer is on sale in the Chandel and the Churachandpur main markets. The heads with the tell-tale antlers are chopped off and secreted elsewhere. The eviscerated carcass is cut to pieces for sale in terms of kgs.

Most of the deer must be of the Sangai, wild boars, barking deer etc are still available in the inaccessible rain forests in the Chandel district. I could hear the roaring of such beasts while I was held captive for three days by some militants some years back. There is no hunting ground for deer in the Churachandpur district and as such it is not difficult to make a ballpark guess where these deer carcasses come from. After all, Moirang is only a short distance away from Churachandpur.

Political upstarts in some Assembly constituencies around the Loktak lake had inflamed the illiterate and greedy farmers by telling them that the national park measuring 40 sq. km should be closed down so that the land could be converted to paddy fields. They justified the demand saying that man is more precious than the deer.

At their instigation the skeleton staff of the wildlife wing were manhandled and their personal effects incinerated. The haggard and badly mauled staff left for homes since they felt insecure. The campaign gave carte blanche to the poachers and in those days one kg of venison was sold at Rs 50. There was a growing fear among the wildlife enthusiasts that the Sangai would be exterminated.

The then Chief Minister RK Jaichandra emerged as a saviour of the endangered species. He ordered deployment of the Manipur Rifles troopers within the national park. Naturally poachers refrained from venturing into the national park and the officials could patrol and badger unauthorised intruders.

It was no accident that the political upstarts had called off the campaign. In any case they were not elected in the elections. But the troopers were withdrawn on the pretext that they were needed in guarding the elected representatives. Besides help cannot be rushed within a short time in case militants strike.

In view of the insurgency situation the forest guards also cannot handle the double barrel guns unlike in other states. As such the unarmed officials and employees cannot throw the gauntlet to the poachers and other trouble makers who tag along with the bona fide fishermen.

There is a growing fear that in due course the Sangai will vanish from the earth and precious nothing is being done to check it. Lions, buffalos, rhinoceros having less than 2,00 population each were regarded as endangered species. People and governments did everything to protect them and multiply their population. Such enthusiams are missing in Manipur in case of the Sangai.

Instead of digging ditches toward off domesticated cattle which spread diseases on the deer in the national park or making out of bounds for the fishermen and others the forest department had opened a second home for the deer at Iroishemba. It is not a home but the death row for the endangered species.

The deer stay in the floating bio-mass and feeds on the young grasses that sprout from putrid and hardened water plants. These features are absent from the hill slopes at Iroishemba. Had the mountains been their natural habitats this deer would have been available through the world.

Some deer were kept in the zoos. It is a known fact that the deer kept in captivity and in incompatible and unnatural environment are highly susceptible to deadly diseases and genetic defects. The proposal to keep some Sangais at the Pabitra wildlife sanctuary in Assam was opposed by the people since one day the Assamese will say that it is their deer. But more important is that the dancing deer will have to stay in an Iroishemba like environment.

Though the fate of the Sangai in the backdrop of the operation summer storm is fearsome there is no coherent voice of protest from the animal lovers from other parts of the world. But then in Manipur it is of no concern to the people perhaps except the terrified villagers who had fled to safer areas.

The people of the state are subjected to contemptuous neglect and discrimination. When a 6 years old Zeliangrong girl was raped and murdered in New Delhi the national papers and news channel except one blanked it out. But when an 11 years old girl had died of sun stroke following cruel punishment by the class teacher it was the front page report.

Certainly it does not interest the mainstream India what is or is not happening in Manipur.