As a noble initiative for the protection of biodiversity in Bodoland, the Bodoland Golden Langur Association (BGLA), a Kokrajhar-based NGO, erected signboards along the Sikhna Jwhwlao National Park, appealing to visitors to obey rules while entering the wildlife zone.
The signboards, carrying slogans to protect wild animals, were installed along the roadside leading to the Saralpara tourist spot near the Bhutan border, from Digli — the entrance gate to the National Park — up to Ultapani. The programme was organised on the occasion of World Environment Day 2026.
The BGLA also planted saplings along the roadside leading to Saralpara and appealed to visitors and picnickers to follow directives: drive slowly within the wildlife zone, refrain from honking, avoid making noise, and stop throwing plastic waste and water bottles inside the National Park. The association also held a brief meeting with the management running the Saralpara tourist spot, calling upon them to urgently distribute multilingual pamphlets to tourists outlining rules against harmful activities, including disposal of single-use plastics and bottles into water bodies. The meeting also touched on broader management concerns at the tourist spot, including the regulation of vehicle movement and the need for an online booking system to control the surge in visitor numbers — a trend that poses a growing threat to the local ecosystem.
Speaking to media persons, BGLA president Ajit Basumatary said that while planting trees and holding meetings on World Environment Day had become a regular phenomenon worldwide, their association's focus remained firmly on the protection of wild animals and biodiversity. He said the Sikhna Jwhwlao National Park, located in the Chirang Reserve Forest in Kokrajhar district, was renowned for its rich greenery and diverse wildlife, including several endangered species. The Park is home to Asiatic elephants, golden langurs, hornbills, tigers, deer, over 350 species of butterflies, reptiles and birds. However, he said, the rapid depletion of the reserve forest due to rampant encroachments has raised serious concern over the protection of animal habitats, and that illegal encroachments inside the National Park must be stopped at any cost. He also noted that there had been very recent reports of the deaths of a golden langur and a hornbill, as well as incidents involving wild elephants inside the Park, all attributed to overspeeding vehicles — which also kill hundreds of butterflies every day.
Basumatary urged the concerned authorities to take strong action against reckless driving inside the Park, regulate the number of tourist vehicles in line with intake limits, introduce an online booking system for tourists, tackle illegal encroachments, and hold regular awareness campaigns involving NGOs working for biodiversity protection. He added that the BGLA would extend its support to the concerned department for the protection of biodiversity across the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) area for a better future. He further said that since the endangered golden langur had been recognised as the pride of Bodoland, the association has decided to host a "Golden Langur Festival" every year, as BTC is home to more than 5,000 golden langurs.
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