Alipurduar, Oct. 11: Poachers, suspected to be from Assam, had shot the male rhino that died in Jaldapara yesterday, forest officials said today.
A post-mortem has confirmed the presence of a bullet in the animal’s body.
Principal chief conservator of forests Atanu Raha said over the phone from Calcutta: “A team of senior forest officials will visit Jaldapara. We will haul up officials if they are found responsible. It seems that a gang of poachers, probably from Assam, is active in the area.”
A combing operation will begin tomorrow in Chilapata, Kodalbusti and Jaldapara Wildlife Sanctuary, 45km from here, the forester said.
The male rhino had come out of the sanctuary on Thursday and had been roaming in the Chilapata area, 26km from here. Yesterday, it was tranquillised so that its wounds could be treated. But after regaining senses, the rhino fell into the Torsha and died after it was washed down 500m.
The incident brings back memories of the mid-eighties when rampant poaching of rhinos for their horns had decimated the animal’s population in Jaldapara to 14. But the count had risen to 126 recently.
