Poaching of Rhinos in Kaziranga Sparks Protest

An injured female rhinoceros have struggled to be alive without his horn on Wednesday in Kaziranga National Park, after poachers fled with the horn and was left bleeding.

The incident occurred at Rongagara area near Karbi hills of Kaziranga on September 25 night, as poachers shot a female rhino and fled with her horn.

“The poachers removed the horn and cut its right ear,” a villager said.

The attacked on rhinoceros has sparked protests by various organizations.

Meanwhile, Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba chatra Parishad (AJYCP) and several organizations demanded an CBI inquiry into the rhino poaching in Kaziranga.

“The Forest Minister of the state government Rockybul Hussain should resigned from his ministry for negligence,” a leader of AJYCP Bokakhat committee said.

Meanwhile, another a carcass of a rhino was found at Gotong under Bagori range in Kaziranga on Wednesday.

Since January, 2012, 14 rhino had been poached in Kaziranga.

The BJP MP Bijoya Chakrawarty has asked the Assam forest minister to resign from his post.

“119 rhinos had been poached inside the park since 2001,” the BJP MP said.

Apart from the protest on rhino poaching, the Assam forest minister ordered an official inquiry over the incident.

“It is a political conspiracy on me,” Hussain said during a press conference at Nagaon on Wednesday.

During the census in 2012, 2,505 rhinoceros roam the Kaziranga park.

Hemanta Kumar Nath

Hemanta Kumar Nath is a correspondent in Assam, India, who reports on local news in Assam, the north east Indian state.