Protests rocked various parts of Assam on Thursday over the death of a one-horned rhino inside a national park and killing of three elephants by a passenger train in Assam’s Jorhat district since last night.
While a one-horned rhino died after being trapped in a mud pit near the Kaziranga national park in Assam last night, the other incident took place at Mariani in Jorhat district of upper Assam on Wednesday night.
Several organisations, including the Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuva Chatra Parishad (AJYCP), blocked the National Highway 39 in protest against the Government’s failure to save the one-horned rhinos inside the park. The organisations have also burnt effigies of Assam Forest Minister Rockybul Hussain on Thursday over both the incidents.
This is the eighth one-horned rhino that died inside the national park since January this year. While this rhino died after getting stuck in the mud pit, rest of the seven rhinos were killed by poachers inside the park this year.
Park officials said that the rhino had got stuck in mud in Kohora area of the park. “Our team rushed to the area immediately after being informed by the local people. However, the veterinarians said that the rhino was having partial paralysis due to its old age,” said Divisional Forest Officer of the park SK Seal Sarma.
“Our team had yesterday examined the rhino after being informed by the forest department and locals. The rhino was an old one. We have sought for a crane to lift the rhino from the mud. However, it took time to arrange for the crane and the rhino died by the night,” said Anjan Talukder, a veterinarian with the Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation (CWRC) However, the locals alleged that the rhino fell into the mud pit on Wednesday and that it remained there the whole day and the forest department had made no attempt to rescue the animal.
The other incident took place around mid night when the the Tinsukia bound Intercity express hit an elephant herd while crossing over the railway track at Venuguri village near Moriani Railway station in the district. Officials said that the elephants were returning to their habitat in the Gibbon wildlife sanctuary.
The forest department has, however, drawn flake for its failure to save wildlife in the state including the rhinos and elephants.the rhino and other. Prominent nature conservation organization Natures’ Beckon condemned the lackadaisical attitude of the state government for failing to save the rhinos and said that it is this attitude of the department that so many rhinos have been killed inside the national parks of Assam for last several years.