Accused of killing rhinoceros arrested

Guwahati: A man has been arrested for attacking a rhinoceros in Assam, which ultimately led to its death. An official gave this information on Friday. A female one-horned rhinoceros died in Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve after being attacked with a spear by Naren Saikia, Kaziranga National Park Director Sonali Ghosh said.
However, the rhinoceros ran away towards the forest in an injured state. Later the officials tried to trace it with the help of drones. “We could not locate the injured rhino till Thursday evening, when its body was found at a place,” Ghosh said. The rhino attack took place on 24 November. Saikia was arrested by the Forest Department two days later. “We had initially arrested the accused for attacking the animal but the charges were changed after the body was recovered,” Ghosh said.

Saikia has now been charged under sections 2 and 9 of the Wildlife Protection Act. On November 24, around 8.30 pm, some people gathered after hearing the scream of the rhinoceros. Ghosh said, “When Saikia saw the villagers he ran away, but people nearby recognized him. “He was caught based on information received from local residents.” He said that even though Naren has accepted his mistake, he has not given the reason for the attack.
“He admitted that he had used the spear to attack the wild animal, but it is not clear whether his intention was to obtain the horns for trade,” Ghosh said. “We cannot put it in the category of poaching because it could be related to meat eating.” He claimed that some people hunt for meat as they eat the meat of rhinos and even elephants. “He tried to kill the creature to get its complete body but he did not cut the horn,” Ghosh said. Assam has seen a decline in rhino poaching in recent years, and no poaching occurred in Kaziranga National Park last year.