Poacher turns into a protector

Dino now earns a living by playing Madal for tourists

Bau Bhatt

Jalpaiguri April : After poaching elephants, bison, deer, wild boars and many such animals for several years a poacher at Budhuram Village in the Gorumara National Park has finally opened his eyes. A 50 year old tribal Dino Oraon has now turned into a protector from a poacher.

A physically strong Dino was among top among poacher whose axe used to flash on the animals at a lightening speed. A terror for foresters in recent times the 50 year was jailed several times but to no avail. Dino even had connections with the international groups who run the poaching racket.

All these are now forgone days for the killer. “A divine order from within myself forced me to shut down this entire path for poaching,” says Dino.

“Some 10 years I was passing through a region at Gorumara forest. It was dusk and I even had no weapon to protect myself. I was hastily trying to cross the forest as being a poacher I knew how dangerous the region is. What I feared finally happened. A huge leopard on my way was staring at me. An ice-cold wave ran my spine and guess the consequences that were about to happen with me,” said Dino.

Dino remembered god while the leopard spared him. “After that I decided that I would instead protect the animals rather than poaching,” Dino added.

Ever since then Dino has promised to remain as a protector. He now believes that animals are much closer to god than human beings as they do not commit sins like human beings. Dino now earns his living by playing Madal, a Gorkha instrument infront of the tourist.

The Forest department has extended all support to him. “There is not case of poaching at Gorumara in the past decade or so. Being a poacher he knows every place at Gorumara from where poacher makes entry. This has become a great help to us from Dino,” said Bimal Debnath, a Range Officer at Gorumara south range.