(IN): Orang rhino falls to bullets

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Link: http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070822/asp/northeast/story_8220303.asp

 

Orang rhino falls to bullets

A STAFF REPORTER

 

*Guwahati, Aug. 21:* Poachers made a killing when floodwaters swamped

Kaziranga. Not too far away at Orang National Park last evening, poachers

had it easier. There was not even a natural calamity to take advantage of.

 

Two gunshots felled a young female rhino behind Rowmari camp in the national

park and the three killers had enough time to saw off its horn and flee

before forest guards made it to the spot.

 

" Two shots were heard, but by the time reinforcements went in, the poachers

had fled, " DFO of the Mangaldoi wildlife division, S. Momin, said. Orang

National Park is located 150 km from Guwahati.

 

According to a 2006 census, the number of rhinos in the 78.81-square-km park

on the north bank of the Brahmaputra is estimated to be 68.

 

Momin said two incidents of rhino poaching have already taken place in Orang

this year. Six rhinos fell to poachers here in 2005 and 2006.

 

The roads that criss-cross the park are worn out and the cash-strapped

authorities have not been able to buy petrol for their vehicles in the past

four months.

 

In another act of brutality yesterday, labourers of Moubandha tea estate

under Pulibor police station in Jorhat beat three leopard cubs to death.

 

Pulibor police today arrested three labourers of the garden — Suren Bauri,

Bipul Bhumij and Ramesh Turi — under the Wildlife Protection Act in

connection with the incident.

 

The mother leopard was out of its lair when the incident took place. The

animal, had, however, moved one of its month-old cubs to safety when it

heard the labourers approaching.

 

" The labourers reached the area before the mother returned to take away the

other cubs. The three were beaten to death mercilessly without any

provocation, " Das said.

 

The tea estate authorities informed the forest department of the incident

after the labourers brought the carcasses to the factory.

 

Additional conservator of forests Gunin Saikia said such incidents would

continue to occur unless stringent action was taken. " There is total lack of

awareness among common people about wildlife protection, " he said.

 

Chief conservator of forests M.C. Malakar acknowledged that though the

forest department had taken up awareness campaigns across the state, most of

the tea gardens had yet to be covered. " Since leopards are making tea

gardens their home thanks to the depleting forest cover, cases of conflict

with humans have increased in recent times, " he said.

 

Malakar said the forest department would take the help of garden authorities

to launch an awareness campaign in the tea gardens.

 

Upper Assam alone has witnessed the killing of 10 leopards this year. Most

of these cases have been reported in the tea garden areas.

 

 

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