Rhino dies after being trapped in mud for three days

An adult female rhino died today in Kaziranga National Park after being trapped in mud for three days, a forest official said.

The female rhino was trapped in a mud pit on Saturday near Bordoloni forest camp in Kohora Range of the World Heritage Site and died around around 8.30 am, said KNP Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) S P Seal Sarma.

All efforts were made to rescue the rhino, Sarma said adding the KNP forest veterinary wing, along with a team of doctors from the College of Veterinary Science, Guwahati, and veterinarians from the Centre for the Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation (CWRC) tried to safely bring out the one-horn rhino from the mud.

The forest department does not have crane-like equipment for safely lifting heavy animals like rhinos and elephants trapped in mud or deep drains, he said.

Earthmoving and construction equipment vehicles, as suggested by some quarters, were not used for lifting the animal as the equipment would cause serious injuries to it, he said.

This is the third rhino killed since October last in similar circumstances, the DFO said.
Meanwhile, another rhino was roaming about in a jute field in Gorebandha area of Nagaon district for the last five days, Forest Department sources said.

The local people claimed that the Forest Department personnel did not make the necessary efforts for sending the rhino back to Kaziranga.

According to official records, 22 rhinos were killed this year while 24 poachers were arrested and 20 others lost their lives in encounters with security forces.

Since 2001, a total of 127 rhinos have been killed by poachers till now, as per the records.