Three rhino poachers, horn smugglers held in Assam

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Guwahati, May 9 (IANS) In a major breakthrough, three rhino poachers and smugglers of rhino horns were arrested by the Assam police on Sunday from Karbi Anglong distrtict, officials said.

Assam police spokesman said that acting on a tip-off the police arrested Welson Teron, 34, Dereshang Rengma, 36 and Alo Rengma, 29 and recovered some sophisticated arms and ammunition from their possession.

While Welson and Dereshang are residents of Karbi Anglong and Alo is a resident of Nagaland's Dimapur.

Police recovered two AK-47 rifles, two loaded magazines, 30 rounds of live AK ammunition and other equipments from the custody of the rhino poachers.

Smugglers and poachers are poaching rhinos in Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve (KNP & TR) and other national parks in Assam and selling their horns in international markets.After the government and the forest authorities have taken a series of steps including increasing the numbers of trained security personnel, the poaching activities drastically reduced over the years.

The KNP & TR, extending across Assam's Golaghat, Nagaon, Sonitpur, Biswanath and Karbi Anglong districts and along the Arunachal border, is home to more than 2,400 one-horned Indian rhinos, approximately two third of the total world population.

Set up in 1908, the KNP & TR, one of India's seven UNESCO world heritage sites in the natural and environment category since 1985.Besides rhinos, the KNP & TR has 121 tigers, 1,089 elephants and huge numbers of Asiatic buffalo, swamp deer, wild boar, hog deer, porcupine and other endangered animals and snakes.

With an estimated rhinoceros population of 2,640, Assam has the largest number of Indian one-horned rhinos in the world.

--IANS

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