Even as the Centre turned down Assam’s proposal for having unmanned aircraft or drones for better aerial surveillance of the Kaziranga National Park, two rhinos were killed and the horn of one of them removed by poachers in the famed Park on Tuesday.
Assam Forest Minister Rockybul Hussain said that two more rhino carcasses were recovered from near the park on Tuesday morning. “The carcasses were spotted by forest patrols from Burhapahar range of the park,” he said, adding that there is involvement of armed militants behind the fresh killing of rhinos.
Forest guards heard gun shots in the western Burapahar range of the park late last night, following which an operation was launched in the area. An encounter followed, but the poachers managed to escape, the officials said. During search operations, the forest guards came upon the carcass of two rhinos near Dirang forest camp of the range, about 20 metres away from National Highway 37. The poachers managed to escape with the horn of one of the rhinos, they said.
Hussain said that the Defence Ministry had turned down the drone proposal “due to military and security reasons”, but added that the State Government had urged the Centre to review the decision. “We received a letter from the Union Ministry of Defence today intimating us about the decision. However, we are requesting the Min istry to review the decision,” he said.
An increase in poaching of one-horned rhinos last year has forced the Assam Government to urge the Centre to allow use of unmanned aircraft for aerial surveillance of the park. Close to 30 rhinos were poached in protected areas of Assam last year. Union Minister of Environment and Forest Jayanti Natarajan, who had also visited the park last year, also suggested use of unmanned aircraft or drones for better aerial surveillance of the park.
Husain said that the department is now proposing to fence a stretch of 50 km in the Kaziranga National Park with solar powered electric fencing to stop the rhinos from straying outside the park.