Sharp decline in world rhino population

GOLAGHAT, March 1 ? The wildlife parks of North East India are sanctuaries for some of the world?s most exotic plants and animals including one-horned rhino which is still struggling for existence owing to poaching, climatic changes and human encroachment on their natural habitats. In the past 20 years, the world?s rhino population has already shown a remarkable decline from 1,50,000 to 41,000 presenting a grim picture about this wildlife resource. In the Kaziranga National Park which provides sanctuary to an estimated 1,400 Indian rhinos, animals are lost every year due to poaching. In 1985 alone, 43 rhinos were killed with the total 350 deaths, mainly due to poaching in Assam between 1989-95 and now upto 2000. Poachers from Nagaland, Manipur and Tripura have now-a-days become parties to an international syndicate which provides a well-knit network for smuggling rhino horns to Myanmar. Though the sanctuary is surrounded by protective boundaries and patrolled 24 hours, the strength of the police force remains inadequate. Besides, the guards-posts are eight miles apart. The ratio of guard to rhino is 1.10.