Poachers kill 23 rhinos in Assam since 2016

In response to an unstarred question in the ongoing budget session of the Assam assembly, the state forest minister Pramila Rani Brahma on Thursday replied that, as many as 132 rhinos have died in the state since 2016.

Among the rhinos that have died, 123 in 2016 and nine in this year so far.

The Assam forest minister said that, a total of 23 rhinos killed by poachers during the period including 22 poached in 2016.

According to the state government data, 18 rhinos were poached alone in Kaziranga National Park in 2016, followed by two in Manas National Park, one in Orang National Park and one outside any reserve forest of the state.

The lone rhino that has killed by poacher in this year so far was in Manas National Park.

The state forest minister said that, as many as 92 poachers were arrested by the security forces from different parts of the state during the period.

“Forest guards and other security agencies had arrested 71 poachers alone from Kaziranga National Park and 12 from Orang National Park,” the Assam minister said.

(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)

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