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Leap-frog in rhino population

Despite being riddled by unstoppable poaching incidents, the Kaziranga National Park gets a rare dose of good news.

There has been considerable increase in the rhino population in the world heritage site. During the last two years the rhino population figure has gone up to 2,400 which suggests increase of 71 one horn animal.

The park authorities released the figure n Saturday after the end of the two days census operation.

The figure was on expected line as the authorities earlier hoped that it figure be encouraging.

“We began the census operation on Thursday which concluded on Friday. It is an exercise by the authorities which is conducted after a gap of three years,” KNP officials told Assam Times.

In 2012, the national park had 2290 rhinos. The repeated incidents of poaching forced the state government to conduct a special census which also suggested rise in the rhino population. The figure stood at 2,329.

According to the census figure, Kaziranga has 1,651 adult rhinos along with 294 sub adults 251 and 205 calves.

The authorities divided the park into 81 blocks to conduct the two days census deploying 36 elephants involving over 200 forest officials, guards and NGO representatives.

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Dustin Munro's picture

There are sustainable ways to use elephants,rhinos,and other large mammals to make money without killing them and/or destroying their habitat.GOOGLE this title for a solution being used(by a "paper" company) for the Asian Elephant and Indian Rhino-How to save rhinos? By turning their dung into paper. A possible solution I figured out is:The Real Large Mammal Medicine And Food-Cash CowsIt is not elephant tusks or rhino horn that have medicinal properties or miracle cures.However,there may actually be a real medicine as well as food source from rhinos and elephants and many other large herbivorous mammals in Africa like hippos,eland,cape buffalo,manatees and dugons-without killing them or destroying their habitat!It is their milk! One example was shown in “Durrell In Russia”about people in Russia raising eland for the milk and saying it was good for fighting diseases(I think the examples of diseases were yellow fever and tuberculoses).Therefore the milk from all mammals that are large enough to produce large amounts of milk should be milked for investigation of medicinal qualities like possible malaria immunity and help fight other tropical diseases that the animals in those areas are exposed to and are deadly to people.Of course the milk would probably be great for food products too and help make those animals benefit from high demand.Large herbivorous mammals in Asia could also benefit from high demand too by milking them for use for food products and medicinal properties.Some examples of food products made from and/or using milk are cheese,chocolate,cream,ice cream,mayonaise,butter et.The animals could be captured as mother and it’s young,milk the mother,then release them after milking.That should only be done with mothers that have young that are already eating solid food to avoid the young from not getting enough milk.That would not only make the animals “Cash Cows”without killing them,but also greatly encourage people to breed whatever animals they would be milking for the probable high price of wildlife milk to replace the high price of rhino horn and elephant tusk.Of course the milk used for food products should be tested for toxic plant residue since some animals may eat plants that are toxic to people.  

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Flood waters continue to wreak havoc in Kaziranga. The world heritage site which is an abode of two-thirds of world's one-horned rhinoceros population, is also partially flooded and many animals have been forced to take shelter on the highlands. Rhino habitats are flooded to force the trapped animals to shift to the safer places in the nearby hills. The Park authorities are on alert to protect the wildlife from deluge and poachers by undertaking day-night vigil and patrolling on boats through the flooded park.
The overall flood situation remains critical. Amid alert 11 districts are reeling under floodwaters.  The Brahmaputra and its tributaries are flowing over the danger mark after the torrential rains lashed the state for several hours. This wave has left over one lakh people homeless. Downpour in the catchment areas of Arunachal Pradesh has resulted in the swelling water level in Jiadhol to trap Dhemaji district where over 100 villages are under flood. Tinsukia, Chirang, Nagaon, Golaghat, Jorhat, Kamrup, Karimganj, Lakhimpur, Morigaon are the other flood-hit districts.
Anup Chetia is expected to be extradited this week. The ULFA top leader is expected to arrive in New Delhi on July 16---two days ahead of the home secretary level bilateral talks slated for July 18. An Assam police team is prepared to leave for the national capital to take Chetia on their remand in view of a number of pending cases.The pro talk ULFA leaders are also set to leave for New Delhi to discuss the status of the peace process with the Centre. Chetia was arrested in Bangladesh in 1997 and was subsequently handed down seven years of jail term by a court for cross-border intrusion, carrying fake passports and illegally keeping foreign currencies.
A heavy to heaviest rain and thunder is likely to lash Assam during the next 48 hours forcing the government to be prepared for itFive districts are on alert in view of the impending downpour. According to Indian Meteorological Department, 488 MM rainfall in Sonitpurs, Lakhimpur, Golaghat and Barpeta districts by the next 48 hours. Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi who is back in Guwahati has instructed the water resources department to be well prepared to deal with the crisis. He directed the district administrations to evacuate the people from the river banks.
AGP receives yet another blow on Tuesday when the party’s one of the founder leader Atul Bora deserted Prafulla Kumar Mahanta.The former minister Bora rushed to the party headquarters on Tuesday and handed his resignation letter to the party president through vice president Joseph Toppo.In all probability, Bora is set to join the BJP on Wednesday in presence of Rajnath Singh which will be on a two days tour to the state.
Asom Gana Parishad is holding a crucial meeting in Guwahati on Tuesday to discuss the ongoing crippling crisis.President Prafulla Kumar Mahanta is presiding the meeting at the party headquarters where the district bodies are appraising the leadership of the prevailing situation. Despite instructions, all district committees are not attending the meeting. Some of the top leaders are conspicuous by their absence.
Despite strict vigilance Kaziranga is yet to get rid of the repeated rhino poaching incidents.Yet another body of rhino was found in the national park on Tuesday. The hornless rhino body was spotted at Kukurkata inside the Burhapahar range of the national park.     Poachers are suspected to have killed the full grown rhino two days ago. Photo: Dhrubajyoti Saha, Kaziranga.
An antelope was killed and another injured while trying move to a highland as flood scene turns grim in the Kaziranga National Park.The two animals were hit by a speeding vehicle last night when they were crossing NH 37 along the Park to move to the highlands in neighbouring Karbi Anglong district through the Mirimihi animal corridor. The injured antelope was sent to the Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation. Vast areas the national park have also been affected. Vehicular movement has been restricted from Sunday morning on NH 37, which passes through the park and which animals use to cross into the southern side on their way from the low lying areas of the park.
The overall flood situation worsened with more and more villages getting submerged. Floodwaters entered the Kaziranga National Park where an antelope was killed.Over 65,000 people of 170 villages in seven districts - Dhemaji, Tinsukia, Golaghat, Jorhat, Kamrup, Karimganj and Lakhimpur - were affected.The mighty Brahmaputra and its tributaries Jia Bharali and Dikhow were flowing over danger mark at Jorhat, Sonitpur and Sivasagar.Altogether 43 villages have come under water in Dhemaji, Jorhat and Sivasagar districts since yesterday affecting nearly 5,000 people. Around 800 people are taking shelter in three relief camps in Dhemaji.
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