13-Mar-10 1:00 PM CST

Poachers Kill 14 Rhinos in 2009

GUWAHATI: Poachers have killed 14 rhinoceroses in the national parks and other forest areas of Assam in the year 2009.

Forest Minister Rockybul Hussain said Kaziranga National Park and Orang National Park lost six rhinoceroses each while one each was killed in Dibrugarh and Karbi Anglong divisions of the forest department.

The total strength of officers and staff in the Kaziranga National Park is 562 out of which 386 are frontline staff posted in 152 camps inside the Park, the minister said in a statement here today.

This strength has remained unchanged for the last 20 years though the area of the Park has been doubled and rhino population has increased from 1,069 to 2,201 during the period, he said.

The government has recently recruited new employees against vacant posts but it was not sufficient to protect the animals in the Park and efforts were on to hire more people, the minister said.

More than 170 armed home guards and 42 personnel of the Assam Forest Protection Force Battalion have already been deployed in the KNP to assist the staff in protection duty.

Another 200 frontline staff were being deputed to the Park from the neighbouring divisions to further strengthen protection measures while the process of raising a new Assam Forest Protection Force Battalion is under progress, the minister added.

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