Rhino poaching in Kaziranga National Park

July 2007. Kaziranga National Park, home to the largest population of the critically endangered Greater one horned rhinoceros, is facing serious poaching pressures, as high prices in the illegal international market for rhino horn mean that organised crime and poachers have turned their attention to Kaziranga.’

Last week, a team of forest guards, fought a running battle with three armed poachers, who had taken cover in the elephant grass that made the task of catching them even more difficult. The chase, amidst constant exchange of gunfire lasted more than 36 hours and ended in the death of one poacher, though the other two escaped. One .303 rifle along with eight live cartridges were recovered from the scene along with bags of rations and supplies. The dead poacher, whose identity was not immediately known, is suspected to be behind the death of five rhinos in the past, officials said.

This year, after a gap of many years, it is thought that 10 rhinos have been poached, with the pressure on the guards increasing as the monsoon makes life easier for poachers, and patrolling becomes more difficult in the waterlogged terrain.

‘The poachers are a part of an organized international network and well equipped,’ Utpal Bora, Divisional Forest Officer of the park said. ‘However, the morale of the park guards is very high. Despite heavy rain and the tough terrain and they will not easily let go’. ‘The poachers are a part of an organized international network and well equipped,’ Utpal Bora, Divisional Forest Officer of the park said. ‘However, the morale of the park guards is very high. Despite heavy rain and the tough terrain and they will not easily let go’.

Ashok Kumar, Vice Chairman Wildlife Trust of India emphasized that until demand in the international market is curtailed, even a well-built security network of forest officials could sometimes fail. Known markets for medicinal use of rhino horn flourish particularly in China, South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand.

Close on the heels of a rhino being poached on July 5, routine night patrolling had been intensified around the vulnerable points in the park. On July 10 a patrolling party in the Burapahar Range in the western part of the Park heard gunshots. Being close to the highway, it seemed suspicious, and ranger teams backed by armed policemen loaned from the local constabulary were strategically deployed around the range; the first contact was established when three persons were seen by one of the teams as they disappeared inside the high grass. On being followed the poachers retaliated by firing, and the chase began in earnest.

The teams thereafter guarded all known exit points in that area and started following them. They finally caught up around 7.45 pm and in the exchange of fire that lasted over an hour, one person was killed and the rest escaped taking advantage of the darkness. It is believed that the three-man team had a sharp-shooter, an expert horn cutter and a tracker, who also knew the terrain. The dead person is believed to be the sharp-shooter, an official said.
‘The death of a shooter and the narrow escape for the rest will hopefully act as a demoraliser for others. We want poachers to understand that we are serious and sharper with the gun than they are’ Mr Majid, Range officer, said.

Many thanks to the Wildlife Trust of India for this story and Photograph.