Wildlife Crime Control Bureau team in Kaziranga

A four-member team of Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) is in the Kaziranga National Park to probe the recent killing of rhinos by poachers.

The four-member team, comprising WCCB Regional Deputy Director C Behera A K Jha, Assistant Director (Intelligence), A K Jha, Assistant Director L Kuruvilla and Wildlife Inspector K K Sarma arrived at the park on Saturday, official sources said here on Sunday.

Union Environment Minister Jayanthi Natarajan had directed the WCCB to conduct the probe into the incidents of poaching and submit a report within a week.

The team, scheduled to stay for a week, would visit different parts of the park where the killing took place and also neighbouring Karbi Anglong district to investigate the recent incidents of rhino poaching.

Five rhinos have been killed and its horns removed by poachers since September 26 last and 18 rhinos have been killed during the current year.

Five rhinos have died in the ongoing third wave of floods in the world-famed park.

Meanwhile, 24 wildlife and environment related NGOs would hold a sit-in protest here on Monday to demand arrest of those involved in the killing of rhinos and to bring in accountability within the forest department which is responsible for protection of the World Heritage Site.