Kaziranga (Assam) : A pregnant female rhino was poached in Kaziranga National Park, Assam, on Tuesday, October 23, bringing the total number of rhinos killed this year to 18. A .303 rifle was used, as against locally made hand guns in earlier incidents. The poachers escaped with the horn.
The incident occurred in Bandor Khal (a wet land) near Borbee Forest Camp in the Bagori Range. The forest guards reportedly heard 4 gun fires around 6:30 pm, but were helpless because of the darkness. The carcass, minus the horn, was recovered the following morning. A post mortem conducted by the Forest Veterinary Officer, T Hazarika, revealed that the rhino was pregnant.
Involvement of people of the ‘Paite’ community from a nearby village is suspected, as the intelligence information received earlier stated presence of a group armed with .303 and automatic rifles. The proximity of the village to NH37 facilitates easy transportation of arms and ammunitions. Moreover, the assistance of villagers in poaching for meagre amounts of money has been a matter of grave concern for the authorities.
Kaziranga National Park holds the maximum number (over 1800) of the ‘endangered’ Greater One-horned Rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis), an increase of more than 100 folds, from just about a dozen animals in the beginning of the 20 th century. The animal is illegally hunted for its horn, the powdered form of which is used in the Traditional Chinese Medicines, and sells for about 40,000 USD per kg in the international black market.
