- NET Web Desk
The Assam forest department has faced a new challenge to protect one-horned Rhinoceros; following a poaching case employing tranquillizers to remove rhino horn was discovered in Assam’s Orang National Park on Monday.
According to reports, poachers hacked-off the horn without killing a sub-adult rhino.
The park officials learned about the occurrence on May 9 and found a dehorned sub-adult male rhino, aged between 10-12 years in the Muwamari section of Orang National Park.
As per the Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of Mangaldai Wildlife Division – Pradipta Baruah, following this incident, the PCCF (Wildlife), Chief Wildlife Warden and a veterinary doctor team from Assam State Zoo visited the park and confirmed that poachers utilized tranquilizer gun for the offence.
“This is the first instance of poaching a rhino horn using tranquilizer gun in Orang National Park. There was no bullet injury found on the Rhino. Initially, we assumed that, it was a case of infighting, but after closely monitoring the situation along with experts, it turned-out to be a poaching case, and the horn was chopped-off,” Pradipta Baruah said.
He further stated that the rhino’s condition is now stable and healthy.
“Poachers have utilized tranquillizer guns to poach rhino horn in Assam, posing a serious threat to biodiversity, particularly one-horned rhinoceros. We thought veterinary professionals were engaged in this occurrence since only veterinary experts are familiar with the use of medications to sedate an animal. The tranquillizer pistol and medications are not available on the general market, thus we must thoroughly investigate this situation,” – informed the DFO.
During the recently-concluded rhino census, the Orang National Park & Tiger Reserve counted 125 rhinos.
