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Guwahati: A man has been arrested in Assam for allegedly attacking a rhino that eventually resulted in the death of the animal, an official said on Friday.<\/p>\n
The one-horned female rhino died in Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve after it was attacked by Naren Saikia with a spear, director of Kaziranga National Park, Sonali Ghosh, said.<\/p>\n
The rhino, however, fled to the forest in an injured state. Officials later tried to locate it with the assistance of drones.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe could not trace the injured rhino until Thursday evening when its carcass was found at a place,\u201d Ghosh said.<\/p>\n
The attack on rhino happened on November 24. Saikia was arrested by the Forest Department two days later.<\/p>\n
Ghosh said: \u201cWe initially arrested the accused for attacking the animal but after recovering the carcass, the charges changed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Saikia has now been charged under section 2 and 9 of the Wildlife Protection Act.<\/p>\n
On November 24, at around 8.30 p.m., after hearing the rhino\u2019s screams, some people gathered.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen Saikia saw the villagers, he ran away, but those around recognized him. He was apprehended on the basis of information we got from the local residents,\u201d Ghosh said.<\/p>\n
She said even as Naren acknowledged his wrongdoing, he has not revealed the reason behind the attack.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe acknowledges using a spear to assault the untamed animal, but it\u2019s unclear if he intended to obtain the horn for trade. We can\u2019t label it poaching as it can be related to consuming meat,\u201d Ghosh added.<\/p>\n
She claimed that some people hunt for meat because they eat the flesh of rhinos and even elephants.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe attempted to kill the creature to obtain its entire body but he didn\u2019t cut the horn,\u201d Ghosh said.<\/p>\n
Assam has seen a decline in rhino poaching in recent years, and the Kaziranga National Park witnessed zero poaching last year.<\/p>\n
(IANS)\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n