Kaziranga Forest Guard Who Protected Rhinos For 30 Years Honoured With Earth Heroes Award

As they say, not all heroes wear capes, there are people who emerge as heroes just by doing ther duty with full dedication. All we need to do is to recognise their hard work.?

Dimbeswar Das, a guard with the Assam Forest Department has been honoured with the RBS Earth Heroes Award 2019, for his work towards saving the endangered white horn rhinos in Kaziranga National Park.

The award by the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) recognises his nearly three decades of “outstanding efforts towards the conservation of the Great Indian One Horned Rhinoceros” in the face of several adversities in one of the last remaining homes of the Rhinos.?

“In the 29 years that he had actively served in Kaziranga, Dimbeshwar has faced poachers bullets and threats, survived charges from rhinos, wild buffaloes, elephants, and big cats and had to move houses several times to evade threats to his family— all in the service to the protection of the national park, a national asset. A great network of intelligence and community support has led to the neutralisation of several notorious poachers. His mentorship and engagement with the community has resulted in quick and effective conflict resolution measures in the events of carnivore attacks on livestock,” the citation by the Royal Bank of Scotland said.

He was given the Green Warrior Award which also carries prize money of Rs 2 lakhs at a ceremony held in? New Delhi earlier this week.

Affectionately known as Dimba among his colleagues and superiors, the 53-year-old had joined Kaziranga as a boatman in 1987 and was later promoted to a guard.?

Know as a silent worker, Das said the honour was an achievement for the entire staff in Kaziranga National Park.?

Congratulating him, Assam Forest Minister Parimal Suklabaidya said, "Dimbeswar Das popularly known as Dimba, is a man of all seasons. He has been working tirelessly for the conservation and protection of endangered fauna including One-horned Rhinoceros in the world-renowned Kaziranga National Park of Assam over 30 years."

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Kaziranga National Park, which covers an area of 430 km is one of the most challenging places in the country to be a forest guard. They regularly come under attack by poachers who try to enter the protected area to hunt the one-horned Rhinos.?

According to official records, between 2017 and 2018 seven rhinos were poached and during 2018 and 2019, six rhinos were killed. In 2019, so far there was just a single case of rhino poaching in KNP.

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As per a 2018 census, there were around 2,413 one-horned rhinos in Kaziranga National Park. Over the years, they have been facing an increasing threat from poachers and the annual floods in the state.