Skip to content Skip to navigation

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.

Comments

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.  

Pages

Add new comment

Other Contents by Author

Two hardcore ULFA militants were killed at an encounter with security forces hours after the outfit observed its foundation day.The fierce gun battle took place at an open paddy field  in Bordoloni area in Dibrugarh district in the wee hours. Police and army raided the entire area in search of a group of ULFA militants who were hiding there for the last three days. Two militants were killed on the spot while two others managed to escape from the spot. Security forces seized a sophisticated HK-37 rifle along with 2 powerful grenades and incriminating documents were seized from the spt.
A woman died and another was injured at an incident of dacoity in Guwahati on Monday.The incident took place in the wee hours at Jyotinagar area in the city when a gang of dacoits stormed into the house of Aloka Kalita and tied the hands of the family members. Aloka was killed in the attack as she resisted the dacoits. Then the dacoits looted gold ornaments and money cash. Police arrived in the spot in the morning but the dacoits vanished from the spot.    
CBI will probe the cases of rhino poaching since 2008 at the Kaziranga National Park. The ministry of personnel, public grievances and pension informed the government on Saturday that the CBI will investigate rhino-poaching cases of the Kaziranga National Park. The CBI take up all cases three to five years old. In 2012, poachers killed 39 rhinos and removed their horns, and in 2013, the casualty figure is 16 so far. The KNP has the world's highest population of one-horned rhinoceros.
National Tiger Conservation Authority is organising a training programme at KNP on April 20 on the subject of investigation and forensic in wildlife offences. The government asked for such a session as knowledge of legal matters on wildlife offences is less among officials. CBI Mumbai Joint Director Keshav Kumar will chair the training.
The government seems to have gone tough with the syndicate which has been responsible for steep rise in the price of some commodities across the state.Guwahati police on Saturday arrested a person charging him with extorting money from the vegetable vendors. He was picked up from Machkhowa area. Police crackdown began from Tuesday where three persons were sent to jail for holding syndicates of fish and eggs. AICC general secretary also gave hint of stern action against the illegal toll gates.
The dissident Congress legislators would have to face action if they proceed with the practice.AICC General secretary Digvijaya Singh told reporters in Guwahati on Saturdaythat that the party would take action if a member is found to have violated the partyline. Before revealing it, a Congress MLA from Guwahati, who is a close associate of Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma left the executive meet calling it a monotonous.Talking to the waiting reporters outside the Rajiv Bhawan premises, he said that he is tired of hearing the same for the last 30 years.
AICC General secretary Digvijaya Singh on Saturday made it clear that there would be no poll pact with AIUDF. Talking to reporters in Rajiv Bhawan after the party executive body meeting, he said that the alliance with BPF will continue.His statement assumes significance amid speculation of theAICC high command’s decision to strike deal with AIUDF. AIUDF president Badruddin Ajmal also confirmed the development.
AICC General secretary Digvijaya Singh outrightly denied voice of dissidence within the Congress legislators and urged the party leaders and workers to be prepared for the next Lok Sabha polls.In his address at the party’s executive body meet in Rajiv Bhawan on Saturday morning, Singh said that its time for the party workers to remain prepared for the polls. Only Singh, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi and APCC president Bhubneswar Kalita spoke in the pact meeting. This was much to the utter disappointment of the dissident legislators who have been vocal of Tarun Gogoi and a few of his trusted ones. After holding the meeting, Singh left for New Delhi along with Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi.
Despite heavy presence of security forces Guwahati till remains a safe transit route for arms smugglers.Guwahati police seized a huge cache of arms and weapons from the Paltanbazar area on Thursday evening. These include 8 pistols. Four persons including a woman were arrested for the seizure from their possession.    
The Assam government will go for quality parameters under which, off-campus PhD degrees will not be recognised during recruitment and promotion of faculty.Even serving faculties with off-campus PhD degrees who have got time-scale promotions during recent years will be affected. Notably, in the past few years we have seen a rising trend of research scholars opting for universities where rules are relaxed and there is less academic pressure.