Special rhino protection force on anvil to curb poaching For better administrative control and safety of animals, the Kaziranga National Park will be divided into two wildlife divisions by the State Forest department. Sources said two new divisions would be named North Kaziranga Wildlife Division and South Kaziranga Wildlife Division. Along with creating the two new divisions, the Forest department will also establish two range offices at Tezpur and Gohpur. Kaziranga has long been facing grave threat from poachers who hunt mainly rhinos for their horns. According to official records, close to 154 one-horned rhinos have been killed by poachers from 2001 to March 31, 2016. The State Forest department is also planning to form a special rhino protection force to curb poaching in this World Heritage site. Aiming to make Kaziranga the safest zone for wildlife, the Kaziranga National Park Authority (KNPA) has earlier announced it will create two new additions – 7th and 8th – to the park. The two new additions will include Bandardubi, Palkhowa and Deuchurchang where eviction drive was conducted recently, and few other areas adjacent to the park. The core area of KNP covers 430 sq km. Six additions have been made to the park along its boundary to function as buffer zones, adding to its original area. Till now, the 1st and 4th additions falling in Nagaon district have been handed over to KNP by the State Revenue department, but the remaining 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 6th additions are yet to be handed over.