LUCKNOW: A rhinoceros that strayed in villages, about 10 km from Lakhimpur Khericity , during the monsoon is yet to be sent back to its natural habitat. The forest department has made no efforts to tranquillise the animal and take it back to safety as villagers say the endangered animal is likely to fall prey to poachers active in the area.
According to wildlife experts, the rhino came out of the Dudhwa tiger reserve or crossed over from Nepal during floods in the forests. The rhino is listed as critically endangered as per IUCN redlist and threat of poaching looms over it all the time because of its precious horn and skin. Villagers whose crops are regularly damaged by the elusive rhino say it is vulnerable to poachers active in the area.
The pachyderm was recently sighted near Mahevaganj, which is barely 10 km from Lakhimpur city . Its footmarks, faeces have been found in several other neighbouring villages, like ManjhraMohrai Bagh and Budhapur. Akhilesh Rastogi, a resident of Mahevaganj, told TOI, "The pachyderm strayed in the nearby villages. We informed forest officials, but no senior official came. Only three watchers arrived and told the villagers that the rhino has moved out and it will not come back. Many animals have been killed by poachers in the district but they don't seem bothered." The rhino was first sighted outside the reserve forests in May at Dundela near Shardanagar forest range. It disappeared for a month and was spotted in July several times. In August, the animal attacked a local resident at Jhakra village in south Kheri. A team of WWF experts and forest officials was deployed for four days, but the rhino again proved to be elusive.
Chief conservator of forests Eva Sharma said, "Teams were deployed to monitor the rhino's movement, but it disappeared. I am yet to receive an update on the animal. We will make efforts to bring it back to its habitat as soon as possible for its safety and that of humans."
