Unlawful entry
the one-horned rhinos of Kaziranga National Park in Assam, may yet be saved from extinction. Alarmed by the recent escalation in poaching incidents, the state government has imposed Section 144 of Indian Penal Code in the park.
The penal provision prohibits the congregation of four or more people at a place. It has been extended to this sanctuary to ward off poachers who have killed nearly 32 rhinos during the first half of this year. According to Nagen Sarma, the state forest minister, last year, 42 rhinos were gunned down and several others shot at by the poachers but this year they had killed nearly as many rhinos in six months alone.
Following these killings, the state forest department has intensified its anti-poaching drive and is planning to acquire more sophisticated communication devices. The park's wildlife is facing additional danger due to floods which drive away animals from inundated low-lying areas to safer shelters along the national highway leaving them exposed to poachers' guns.