Frustrated by the unabated killing of rhinos, the Assam Government has taken up a slew of measures to stop rhino poaching inside the protected areas of the State, particularly in the famous Kaziranga National park.
Assam Forest Minister Rockybul Hussain said that the department has decided to award up to Rs 1 lakh to anyone who gives information about the poachers and also assured to maintain utmost secrecy regarding their identity. A total of over 30 one-horned rhinos have been killed in Assam this year — including 25 in Kaziranga National Park, four in Manas National Park, two in Pabitora Wildlife Sanctuary and three in Rajiv Gandhi National Park at Orang.
“We have decided to award up to Rs 1 lakh to anyone who can give us vital information about the poachers. We are also going to maintain strict secrecy to their identity so that they do not have to face threat in future,” said Hussain while talking to The Pioneer on Wednesday.
“Besides, two battalions of the Assam Forest Protection Force (AFPF) had also been rushed to the Kaziranga National Park. Earlier rhinos were poached by 303 rifles but these days we have seen sophisticated AK 47 rifle used to kill the rhinos—this indicates that the militants are involved in the poaching of wildlife,” said Hussain while adding that both the battalions had been strategically instructed to stop the poachers from entering the park.
It may be mentioned here that the Assam Government had recently armed the forest guards with sophisticated weapons so that they can fight the fire powers of the poachers and even amended the Wildlife
Protection Act 1972 so that the poachers can be awarded life sentences. “We are also going to install thermal cameras at selected locations inside the park to detect any unwanted movements inside the park, including those of the poachers,” he said adding that the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) had already approved the installation of thermal and non-thermal cameras at vital locations inside the park.
The move is initiated to top the rampant poaching of the one-horned rhinos in and around the park, which is one of the main tourist attractions of the state and also a UNESCO world heritage site.