Assam chief wildlife warden M. C. Malakar has said that the Centre would soon sign an agreement with the Bhutanese Government to enable tourists visiting Manas to venture in to near by townships of Bhutan like Namglam, Gelephu and Samdrup.

Manas straddles the BTC administered Baska and Chirang districts and stretches beyond     the Indo-Bhutan border where it is known as the Royal Manas National Park. The World Heritage Committee of UNESCO has asked Assam to collaborate with the Bhutanese Government for the contiguous Royal Manas National Park to be included in the world heritage site list as a trans-border property.

Mr. Malakar believes that the proposed joint tourism circuit has the potential to attract tourists in huge numbers. A large Bhutanese contingent is also expected for the centenary celebrations. Khampa Borgoiary, in charge of forests and tourism in BTC has said that the Bhutan King has been invited along with senior Bhutanese officials for the centenary celebrations to be held from December 12 – 14.

The call to rescue the world famous one horned rhino from floods, erosion and man-animal conflicts has led the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) to come up with a plan to relocate these rhinos to the Manas National Park. An expert group comprising members of State forest department and WTI has unanimously identified Manas as an alternative site for the rhinos. The plan to shift the rhinos to Manas is in line with the State Government’s target of increasing the rhino population in the State to 300 by 2020.

With the much needed help and support from all concerned at a crucial time, the prospects of the park are definitely looking up for  the better. The World Heritage Site was once home to over 20 globally threatened species, Until a decade ago, hundreds of elephants, tigers, bisons, leopards, different species of deer and wild cats were seen in the park. But the park became a happy hunting ground for   poachers and militants.

The National Park remained out of bounds ever since Bodo militants raised their heads. But once again things are rapidly changing for better. Conservationists from across the world today are hopeful that the magnificent wildlife of Manas will survive the onslaught of human civilization and retain its glory.

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