Kaziranga gets additional firepower

  • | Monday | 19th February, 2018

KNP, Manas National Park and Orang National Park are tiger reserves as well as rhino habitats. Assam chief wildlife warden NK Vasu said the quantum of weapons to be distributed among tiger reserves, rhino habitats and other protected areas would be worked out later. Pobitora wildlife sanctuary is also a rhino habitat, while Nameri National Park is a tiger reserve.The firearms included 272 INSAS rifles, 954 SLRs, 133 12-bore pump action guns, 20 9-mm pistols and 91 ghatak rifles. Acknowledging that forest guards have to execute duties in extremely difficult situations, Sonowal assured his government will take measures to address their grievances. The firearms were later distributed among frontline forest personnel from different protected areas.

GUWAHATI: Rhino habitats and tiger reserves of the state, including the Kaziranga National Park (KNP), received a fresh batch of automatic firearms on Sunday, adding more teeth to the anti-poaching drive at the world heritage site.Home to two-third of the world's one-horned rhino population, Kaziranga has been bearing the brunt of poachers who kills the pachyderms for their horns, which are in high demand in illicit international markets for wildlife body parts. Vietnam and China are major consumers of rhino horns, where it is used in traditional cures.Chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal handed over about 1,482 different calibres of automatic firearms to the forest department at a formal function in Kaziranga's Kohra area. Assam chief wildlife warden NK Vasu said the quantum of weapons to be distributed among tiger reserves, rhino habitats and other protected areas would be worked out later. KNP, Manas National Park and Orang National Park are tiger reserves as well as rhino habitats. Pobitora wildlife sanctuary is also a rhino habitat, while Nameri National Park is a tiger reserve.The firearms included 272 INSAS rifles, 954 SLRs, 133 12-bore pump action guns, 20 9-mm pistols and 91 ghatak rifles. The firearms were later distributed among frontline forest personnel from different protected areas. The weapons that were distributed on Sunday were procured from the Rs 10 crore allocated in the 2016-17 state budget for purchase of modern arms for the modernization of firearms for tiger reserves and rhino habitats.Sonowal said the state government has allocated Rs 10 crore in the 2017-18 budget for procuring more automatic firearms. The chief minister hoped with modern firearms forest personnel would be able to curb the menace of poaching that has emerged as a big challenge to wildlife conservation in the state.KNP alone has lost six rhinos to poachers this year so far, while at least 15 rhinos were poached in Kaziranga last year. Acknowledging that forest guards have to execute duties in extremely difficult situations, Sonowal assured his government will take measures to address their grievances.

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