NEW DELHI: Poachers killed two rhinos on May 23rd in the Tuplung area of the Pabitora Wildlife Sanctuary in Marigoan district, Central Assam.

The 2 rhinos, a female and a calf, were killed and the horns of the female rhino taken away. The animals were killed after they were electrocuted by wires that the poachers had set up near the Komarpur-Mayong road. Bolindo Bhairali, a forest staff member, was leaving for Guwahati at night when he saw sparks flying from a wire. Suspecting trouble, he informed the range officer of Pabitora. Immediately, a team rushed to the spot and found the carcass of the poached rhinos.

Later, a raiding team was formed to trace the poachers. It included the Range Officer, Zulfikar Alam, Officer-in-charge of the Mayong police station, Trilok Nath, Ravinder Singh, Ram Kumar Bhattarai and Gulab Nath. The Forest Department, along with local policemen, immediately started work on the enquiry. After 2 days of non-stop field raids, finally on May 25th, the investigating team was able to nab the culprits. The party of 5 poachers, of which one was arrested, belonged to a village close to Orang National Park, Assam. The rhino horn that had been taken was also recovered. Meanwhile, the administration has suspended a forest official of Komarpur beat due to negligence at work.

Pabitora, home to one-horned rhino, is spread over an area of 38 sq kms. One of the finest rhino habitats in the world, Pabitora is also known to have the highest population density of the rhino in the world.