Concerned over the recent frequent incidents of rhino poaching in Kaziranga National Park and other places in the state, the Assam government has moved the government to entrust the Central Bureau of Investigation to probe into a suspected conspiracy of certain forces with vested interests behind killing of the precious animal for its horn.
As part of a project undertaken by Aaranyak, a society for biodiversity conservation in north-east India recognised by the government of India, 43 rhinos have been identified through genetic analysis of dung samples, collected from the park in April 2011.
The Centre will create a Special Rhino Protection Force in Assam to protect the animal from poaching and form a task force to enquire into encroachment of forest land in the state, Union Environment and Forests Minister Prakash Javadekar said on Saturday.
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A visit to a sanctuary of the one-horned rhino offers more adventure than Archana Pande bargained for.
The park will be opened on Thursday although the authorities were yet to complete the flood-damage repair works. Three waves of floods from the River Brahmaputra left a trail of destruction inside the park. Most of its roads and bridges were left in shambles by the flood waters.
'Flooding forces the animals to disperse out of the park that, in turn, attracts the attention of poachers.'
Heavy flooding has caused animals at Kaziranga and Pabitora to move to higher land, making them more vulnerable to poaching.
A one-horned rhinoceros and her newborn calf swim in a pond to beat the heat on a hot summer day at the Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary in Morigaon, Assam.
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Modi, on his maiden visit to the UNESCO World Heritage Site, first took the elephant safari in Mihimukh area of the Central Kohora Range of the park followed by the jeep safari inside the same range.
The recent monsoon rains have left almost 85 per cent of the park under water.
In the wake of a spurt in the killing of the one-horned rhinoceros in the famed Kaziranga National Park and other places in Assam, the state government has transferred the divisional forest officer of the park Dibyadhar Gogoi.
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The National Park is facing the worst floods in the past 10 years.
Wildlife enthusiasts and nature lovers have started flocking to Assam's two principal habitats of one-horned rhinoceros, Kaziranga National Park and Pabitora Wildlife sanctuary, which have been declared open for tourists for the winter till April-end.
Forest personnel guarding Kaziranga National Park in Assam gunned down two poachers in an encounter that took place in Bagori Range of the National Park.
He said that those who have surrendered and returned to the mainstream are being rehabilitated by both the central and Assam governments and they will participate in the development journey of the state.
Union Minister for Environment and Forest Jayanthi Natarajan has announced that the central government would provide an un-manned remote-controlled aircraft and an electronic surveillance system for protecting the rhino and other wildlife in Kaziranga National Park in Assam that recently witnessed a spurt in killing of flood-hit rhinos by poachers on the prowl.
The army, SDRF and NDRF are assisting the district administrations in evacuating the affected population to safer places, the authority said.
"We know from our visit how dedicated all the staff in Kaziranga are in caring for the park's wildlife, and can only begin to imagine what a difficult time this must be," he said.
A total of 1.79 lakh hectare agricultural land was submerged and around 90 per cent of rhino habitats -- the Kaziranga National Park and the Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary -- are under water.
The World Nature Photography Awards announced the winners of their 2020 competition, showcasing an array of talented photographers from around the world. The grand prize winner award went to Thomas Vijayan for his image of the endangered Bornean orangutan. Vijayan spent hours up a tree, waiting to see if one of the local orangutans would use it to cross over to a nearby island. Take a look at some of the jaw-dropping images.
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Pietersen said in his stirring address, which focussed on highlighting the relevance of Test cricket.
A two-member division bench of Gauhati high court comprising Justice AK Goel and Justice N K Singh has directed Assam government to evict encroachers from certain new additions to Kaziranga National Park, the famous abode of one-horned rhinos in Assam, and handover the same to the national park authority within three months after completion of the entire process.
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Lack of modern weapons for forest guards has proved to be a major roadblock in tackling the increasing incidents of poaching in Assam.
A large number of tour operators, hoteliers and people living out of the tourism activities in an around the Kaziranga National Park, famous abode of one-horned rhinoceros in Assam, have launched an agitation opposing the plan to upgrade the wildlife sanctuary into a Project Tiger.
He said more than one crore children have sent him 'their Mann Ki Baat' via postcards which have come from many parts of the country and even from abroad.
British royal couple Prince William and Princess Kate Middleton on Thursday visited the Kaziranga National Park in a jeep safari.
A heavy downpour in the hills of Arunachal Pradesh and catchment areas of the Brahmaputra has led to flooding in large areas in Upper Assam.
Rediff readers share interesting photographs from their travels.
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