Guwahati (Assam) [India], August 22 : The carcass of a male rhino with its horn intact was found inside the Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary in Assam's Morigaon district on Friday evening, officials said.
The wildlife sanctuary authorities suspect the animal likely died due to natural causes, such as old age or injuries sustained during fighting.
Pranjal Baruah, Range Officer of Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary, told ANI, "On Friday at around 6:30 pm during a regular patrolling duty, camp staff of Tuplung Anti-Poaching Camp recovered a carcass of a male rhino at Tuplung Camp area inside the wildlife sanctuary. The animal has probably died due to a natural cause, like old age or fighting."
"The necessary post-mortem will be done on Saturday by a Veterinarian after which the exact cause of death can be ascertained," Pranjal Baruah added.
Baruah further said the rhino's horn was intact and had been taken into safe custody by the authorities.
Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary is home to 107 Greater one-horned rhinoceroses and is known for having the highest density of this species in the country.
Meanwhile, the premier biodiversity conservation organisation, Aaranyak, in collaboration with its partner organisations, has been conducting a series of awareness programmes over the last few years around Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary in Assam's Morigaon district under the theme "Conservation and Coexistence."
As part of this initiative, Aaranyak, in collaboration with the wildlife sanctuary authority, local NGO SHIPA and with support from IUCN CAG, organised another programme on August 18 at various locations within Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary.
The event featured two key components, outdoor exposure and indoor interactions, aimed at helping students explore local natural resources and reflect on their roles and responsibilities in conservation.
During the outdoor session, students were introduced to the seasonal flora and fauna of Pobitora, including the iconic Greater one-horned rhino. They learned about the impacts of rising temperatures, floods, and erratic rainfall on the ecosystem and local livelihoods.
The discussions also highlighted how unplanned road construction, bridge building, and landscape alterations threaten rhino habitats and pose challenges to the long-term sustainability of the sanctuary. The indoor session featured interactive activities, including drawing and quiz competitions, designed around the students' observations from the outdoor exposure.
60 students from Mayang High School, Minerva Academy, Lokapriya GNB High School, and Shankardev Shishu Niketan took part, accompanied by six teachers, along with ten local villagers and tourist guides.
Resource persons included Aaranyak's Deputy Director of Rhino Research and Conservation Division, Dr Deba Kumar Dutta, officials from NGO SHIPA, Binod Deka and Nripen Nath, Forest officials Naurattam Deka and Mitul Das and local tourist guide Umesh Deka. Aaranyak official Ujjal Bayan coordinated the event, while Aaranyak's K9 unit handler Rupak Bora and volunteers Ayush Debnath and Jomi Ronchar assisted to make the event successful.