GUWAHATI: In an unprecedented incident, a female rhino fell victim to a spear attack by a local resident in the vicinity of the Kaziranga National Park in Assam’s Golaghat.
According to forest officials, the key accused, Naren Saikia, had hurled a spear at the unsuspecting rhino that had ventured into the area.
A swift response from the forest department led to the arrest of Saikia, by a team led by the Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of Eastern Assam Wildlife Division, Arun Vignesh.
Till the time of writing this report, there has been no official clarification why Saikia tried to kill the rhino with a spear.
The accused has been remanded to judicial custody, and investigations into the shocking incident are ongoing.
Later, the officials confirmed top the press that the rhino’s horn remained intact and was recovered according to standard procedures for safe custody.
The bizarre incident had unfolded around 8:30 pm on November 24, when the 47-year-old resident of Lokhorakhonia had encountered the wild animal.
The rhino, wounded by the spear, had retreated into the safety of the national park.
After apprised of the news, forest officials launched an isearch operation, utilising drones and patrolling on elephants to locate the injured animal.
Tragically, the lifeless body of the rhino was discovered near the Teteliguri Anti-Poaching Camp in the Ekorani area on the evening of November 30.
Preliminary examinations revealed that the rhino, estimated to be between 20 to 30 years old, suffered a fatal injury on the left flank, back rear portion of the stomach.
Samples have been collected for DNA analysis, and will be sent to the Wildlife Institute of India for further investigation.
