26 Jul, 2022

Orang National Park and Tiger Reserve Achieves Second Annual IUCN WCPA International Ranger Award 2022

The field staff of Orang National Park and Tiger Reserve has been awarded the second Annual IUCN WCPA International Ranger Award, 2022. It is the only national park in India, which has been honoured with this prestigious international award among the 12 winners from four countries across the globe.

The historical moment was announced at a function jointly organised by the World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in Kigali City, Rwanda in Africa. Worth to mention that, IUCN and WCPA collaborated in 2020 and created three awards as International Ranger Federation, Global Wildlife Conservation, and Conservation Allies intending to felicitate the extraordinary work done by the rangers in the protected areas in the development of Tiger conservation. And in 2021, for the first time, it awarded 29 exceptional rangers and teams from 43 countries in the world.

Orang National Park - International Ranger Award

Highlights of the second annual International Range Award 2022

A total of 1,70,000 USD of award fund is allocated to recognise the incredible work of the rangers.
A total of 22 rangers and teams across the world are on the nomination list.
A total of 12 winners will get 10,000 USD and the rest of 10 will be awarded 5,000 USD for working in the protected areas.
Two of the awards will be specifically given to the team working to save tigers in the protected zones.
The amount can be used in purchasing essential equipment, ranger welfare services, providing training to the staff and supporting the families of deceased rangers.
All the awardees will also receive a unique uniform patch along with the money.

The reaction of Orang National Park after getting the prestigious award

Pradipta Baruah, the Field Director of Orang National Park and Tiger Reserve told the press that a team of 15 frontline staff has been identified for the award for their incredible hard work in bringing back the straying tigers from the residential villages. He also gave an example by remembering an incident of how the frontline staff of the park caged a tiger after several attempts as the animal created a tense situation in Kacharibheti village in November 2021. He also said that this is a historical achievement in the history of national parks and tiger reserves, which should be written in golden letters.

Note on Orang National Park & Tiger Reserve

Known as the mini Kaziranga National Park for its similar landscape, Orang National Park and Tiger Reserve is located in Assam on the northern bank of the Brahmaputra River.
It spreads across an area of 78.80 square kilometres in the Darrang and Sonitpur Districts.
It was formerly treated as a sanctuary in 1985 and declared a national park in 1999.
The national park is a perfect place to spot the Great Indian One-Horned Rhinoceros.
It also houses elephants, pygmy hogs, tigers and wild buffalos.
The ranger team is one of the best teams i India. The staff are skilled, courageous and dedicated to the perseverance of tigers.
They have been succeeding in capturing and relocating tigers and securing a cordial relationship with the adjacent villages.

Assam Wildlife News Inputs.