There seems to be no end to the unabated killing of rhinos inside the protected areas of Assam. The forest guards in Assam’s Kaziranga National Park have recovered the carcass of a one-horned rhino from the Agaratoli range of the park. The recovery of the rhino carcass took place hours after the Assam forest Minister Rockybul Hussain opened the park for tourists this year on Friday.
Park director NK Basu admitted the recovery of the rhino carcass from the Agaratoli range of the park. The poachers have also taken its horn, he admitted.
Basu, however, said that the rhino was killed on Wednesday last. “The fact that the carcass bore bullet injury and its horn was missing clearly indicated it to be a case of poaching,” he said.
It may be mentioned here that Assam Forest Minister Rockybul Hussain opened the park for this tourist season yesterday and inaugurated the jeep and elephant safaris for the tourists. The minister also expressed concern over the killing of rhinos and said that the department had been taking up steps to curb the menace.
This is the 24th one-horn rhino killed inside the Kaziranga national park this year, forest officials said adding that besides six rhinos had been killed by poachers in Manas national park this year followed by two others in Pabitora wildlife sanctuary this year. Poachers have also killed another rhino and chopped off its horn in Manas national park on Wednesday.
This rampant killing of rhinos have even threatened the ambitious Indian Rhino Vision 2020 project in Assam, which aims at increasing the total rhino population in Assam to 3,000 by the year 2020 and also to ensure these rhinos are distributed over at least seven Protected Areas to provide long-term viability.
Meanwhile, the forest guards in association with the local police have arrested three poachers, who had been involved in killing the rhino two days back. The police have also recovered one 303 rifle and some ammunition from their possession.
Police said that the three persons, including one from Nagaland, had already confessed their involvement in killing the rhino. Police investigation is on to recover the horn of the rhino.