International conservation NGO WWF today expressed concern on the poaching of rhinoceros in Manas National Park in Assam where a pachyderm translocated from the Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary was killed last week.
"WWF is increasingly concerned about the level of commitment of the Assam State Forest Department and the Bodoland Territorial Council in providing protection to the translocated rhinos in Manas," said a World Wildlife Fund- India press release.
To bring back rhinos to Manas, they were translocated under the Indian Rhino Vision 2020, a joint programme of the Assam State Forest Department and Bodoland Territorial Council, International Rhino Foundation, US Fish and Wildlife Service and WWF-India.
"However, the primary responsibility of ensuring the security of the translocated rhinos rests with the state government and its various departments and without their full attention to this, there is a danger that the vision of Indian Rhino Vision 2020 will not be achieved," the release said.
It seemed that the authorities of the Park and the state forest department had not learnt lessons from earlier poaching incidents and as a result one more rhino had been lost, it said.
The WWF called upon the department and the BTC to "immediately enhance protection within the Manas National Park and ensure that patrolling is done effectively round-the-clock to deter further attempts of poachers to kill rhinos or any other wildlife."
