Guwahati, Jan. 10: The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora has asked India to remain vigilant in its efforts to combat rhinoceros poaching at Kaziranga National Park.
The recommendation follows reports that in India, rhinos are being targeted by trans-national criminal groups and rhino poaching in the country is driven by demand elsewhere. Not only rhino poaching, it has been asked to combat rhino horn trafficking and to further suppress current poaching levels
In 2014, India had been asked to submit information before a committee after media reports suggested an increase in rhino poaching.
CITES is an international agreement between governments to protect endangered plants and animals. It aims at ensuring that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival.
"Rhino parts and derivatives are not consumed in the country and poaching of rhinoceroses in India is driven by demand elsewhere. Based on the information available, rhino horns are trafficked from India through Bhutan, Myanmar and Nepal, to primarily China and Vietnam," said the report prepared by India and sent to the committee.
The issue will be discussed at the 66th CITES Standing Committee meeting, which begins tomorrow in Geneva, Switzerland, and concludes on Friday.
This is one of the last inter-sessional meetings of the convention to be held ahead of the crucial 17th Conference of the Parties to CITES (CoP17), which takes place in South Africa in September this year.
The Centre also reported that all rhino horns seized from January 1, 2013, to July 31 last year came from Indian rhinos.
Altogether 21 rhino horns or suspected rhino horn seizures were reported in the country during this period.
"A number of arrests were also reported, but information about prosecutions and convictions were not included in the report," the report said.
"The CITES management authorities need to work closely with Nepal and Myanmar through which traders smuggle out rhino horns from India, to break the network. This should be a priority as rhino horn trade poses a threat to our national security," Bibhab Talukdar, chair, Asian Rhino Specialist Group, told The Telegraph.
Assam holds the key to the Indian rhino's future.
Of a world population numbering about 3,500 animals, nearly three-fourth rhinos are found in Assam.
According to the Rhino Task Force report of the National Tiger Conservation Authority, rhino poaching is an organised crime, involving national and international gangs, who work in close coordination.
It has components of arms smuggling, money laundering, cross-border smuggling, terrorism and international illegal wildlife trade.
The rhino trade, as revealed during interrogation of arrested poachers, is multi-layered and trans-national. It said there was no denying that rhino poaching has international connotations, and there are long chains crossing many borders of states and countries.
"Action within the park boundaries may result in only partially eliminating the menace by killing poachers, seizure of arms or injuring poachers. The efforts inside the national park, must, therefore, be supplemented by equally strong action outside its boundaries," it said.
It had recommended that the CBI and Wildlife Crime Control Bureau must maintain close links with similar wildlife crime/crime investigating agencies such as in Nepal, Myanmar, Vietnam, Cambodia, China, Taiwan, Australia and South Africa.
An official report of Kaziranga National Park said the pressure was tremendous as the rhino population is very high and the entire boundary is very porous.
"The northern side is surrounded by the Brahmaputra and its numerous islands/saporis. There is a very large population of traditional fishing communities all along the river, some of whom may be potential field men for the gang of poachers. The southern side of the park is also full of human habitation, making patrolling very difficult," it said.
