GUWAHATI: A forest officer stationed at the Burapahar range has faced suspension by the forest department due to “negligence on duty”.
This disciplinary action follows the discovery of a rhino carcass, found with its horns intact, near the Tunikati forest camp within the range.
During the investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of this endangered species, Iqbal Hussain, a forest officer stationed at the Burapahar Range of the National Park region, was found to be involved in the incident.
The department swiftly initiated an investigation after the carcass was discovered a week ago on March 23, exploring various angles.
Initially, reports hinted at a possible case of poaching but the department later clarified the cause of death to be “infighting”. In a social media post, it said, “…infighting resulted in the fatal cranial injury of an old male rhino under the Burapahar Range. The nasal bone and horn part are intact”.
Notably, this marks the third reported rhino death in the Northeast’s largest national park in the past two months. Interestingly, official reports on all the three deaths reveal natural causes.
Earlier, on March 17, officials at Kaziranga National Park discovered a dead rhinoceros near the riverbanks of Gai Tapu.
The carcass was noticed by local workers, who promptly reported it to park authorities.
Later, after a thorough post-mortem examination, the officials informed the press that the rhino had succumbed to natural causes, attributed to old age.
Given that the rhino’s horn remained intact, officials ruled out poaching as a cause of death.
Last February, a similar incident had occurred when forest officers recovered another carcass, this time of a mature rhino, in the Kohora range of Kaziranga, not far from Mona Beel. During that time, forest officials speculated that the intact horn suggested a tiger-kill as the likely cause of death.
