Assam: Tigers killed rhino in Orang National Park, this is the third unnatural death of rhino since September

A juvenile rhinoceros was killed by a group of tigers in Assam’s Orang National Park on Saturday night, according to park officials.

This is the third unnatural death of a rhino in the state since September.

Divisional forest officer Pradipta Barua told The Telegraph that forest staff spotted the carcass of the sub-adult female rhino around 8.30am during a morning visit on Sunday.

“The rhinoceros, aged about seven years, was attacked last night by a group of four tigers, which included a female tigress and her three cubs. We have found pugmarks of three tigers,” he said.

He further said, “This line has been seen at the incident site below Rumari Camp of the park. If it had been an adult rhinoceros, the tiger could have escaped the group’s attack. This is not an unusual case. Sometimes rhinos are killed, sometimes tigers,” said the divisional forest officer.

The dead body has been sent for post-mortem. Orang National Park is spread across the Darrang and Sonitpur districts of northern Assam.

Of the 2,895 rhinos found in Assam, the highest in the world, there are about 125 in Orang National Park, 107 in Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary and about 40 in Manas National Park. The highest concentration is found in Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve – about 2,613.

Rhinos are a major tourist attraction in all the parks and their conservation has been a major priority for the state government and wildlife organisations.

The news of the death of the last rhino came from Kaziranga. On November 24, when a female rhinoceros wandered into a human settlement, it was attacked by a man with a spear, the first incident of its kind.

Earlier, the carcass of a female rhinoceros was recovered near Haduk Hanging Bridge in Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary of Morigaon. He died due to drowning.