(IN): Little hope for rhinos

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Link: http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070721/asp/frontpage/story_8087288.asp

 

Little hope for rhinos

A STAFF REPORTER

Guwahati, July 20: Officials of the Kaziranga National Park today

admitted that they were helpless in containing the recent spurt in

poaching, even as another rhino was killed inside the game reserve.

 

Forest guards today recovered the carcass from inside a pit near Natun

Beel under Agaratoli range of the park. The horn was missing.

 

The rhino is suspected to have been killed a few days ago.

 

This was the 10th rhino to fall prey to poachers in the national park

this year.

 

The park has a rhino population of around 2,000, nearly 60 per cent of

the total population of rhinoceroses in the world.

 

Another rhino was killed at Goroimari in the Bagori range on Tuesday.

The range has the highest concentration of rhinos in the national park

and is heavily guarded.

 

Kaziranga director S. Buragohain said the park administration was

taking all steps to check the recent spurt in rhino poaching, but

pleaded helplessness since resources were limited.

 

" A gang of poachers with international links is behind the recent

rhino killings at the national park. The gang is equipped with the

latest weapons, " he said.

 

The park director added that many of the rifles being used by the

forest guards were not working properly as they were quite ancient.

 

There is also a shortage of manpower for patrolling the 340-sq-km

park, considered the home of the one-horned rhinoceros.

 

The Assam forest department has decided to open an intelligence wing

since rhino poaching has risen sharply.

 

The decision to open the intelligence wing was taken after reports

came in that members of a gang of international buyers of rhino horns

were regularly visiting Assam.

 

Assam forest minister Rockybul Hussain had earlier announced a special

action plan to check rhino poaching at Kaziranga.

 

As part of the action plan, more forest guards are scheduled to be

deployed in the national park.

 

On Wednesday, the park received a new consignment of arms and

ammunition to aid officers in their battle against poachers. The

consignment includes 50 .315 rifles and 8,000 bullets.

 

 

 

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