Guwahati
Officials from the Manas National Park and Tiger Reserve in Assam have confirmed that the carcass of a rhino found at the Bhuyanpara range near the Rupohi camp had died a natural death, ruling out any poaching attempt. According to Vaibhav C. Mathur, the director of Manas National Park and Tiger Reserve, the rhino’s death was determined to be natural, and the recovered horns further confirmed this assessment. The rhino, a male around 18 years old, was most likely the victim of infighting with other wild animals. This incident marks the third natural death of a rhino within the Manas National Park this year. In June, one rhino fell victim to poachers. Recently, a suspected rhino poacher was killed in a police encounter in Assam’s Chirang district. The individual, identified as Nareswar Basumatary, was apprehended earlier near the Indo-Bhutan border. He attempted to escape from custody and was shot by Assam’s Special Task Force (STF). During the operation that led to Basumatary’s arrest, rhino claws, skin, a homemade pistol, and bullets were discovered. Two other individuals were also arrested on poaching charges in connection with the same operation, which was carried out by the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau in Assam and the Chirang Forest Department based on a tip regarding rhino bone and body part smuggling.
