Sonowal instructs officials to take all measures to protect rhino

Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Wednesday directed the DCs and SPs to take all possible measures to protect the rhinos.

At a high level meeting with DCs and SPs of Jorhat, Golaghat and Nagaon districts and senior forest officials in Kaziranga late evening yesterday, Chief Minister Sonowal asked them to leave no stone unturned to protect the rhinos from falling prey in the hands of poachers.

“To save rhinos from extinction you have to take it up as a mission to protect them from poachers. To save the pride of Assam we will extend all possible support to you to stop it from extinction,” Sonowal said.

“Whatever measures need to be undertaken will be adopted for protecting the rhinos and Kaziranga National Park - the World Heritage site. We will take advice from international experts on protection of rhinos,” Sonowal said.

“Anyone linked to the poaching of rhinos in Kaziranga National Park will not be spared,” the Assam CM said.

The Assam CM appealed to the people living on the fringes of the park to remain alert against rhino poachers and urged them to also identify poachers and those having links with them.

Sonowal also appealed to the journalists to help the Government in its efforts to stop the killing of rhino once and for all.

Poachers killed ten rhinos in the state this year so far.

In past 15 days poachers killed two rhinos in Kaziranga National Park.

(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)