Assam: Orang National Park maintains zero rhino poaching since 2018

OUR CORRESPONDENT

MANGALDAI: Known as Mini Kaziranga and the pride of Darrang, the Orang National Park and Tiger Reserve (ONPTR) has a rich and diverse settlement history.

Until 1900, local communities inhabited the area. The region was later abandoned by residents due to an epidemic. The British colonial authorities declared it as the Orang Game Reserve on May 31, 1915.

To meet the requirements of Project Tiger, the game reserve was brought under the control of the Wildlife Wing of the State Forest Department and established as a Wildlife Sanctuary on September 20, 1985. On February 24, 2016, Orang National Park was declared a Tiger Reserve, making it the 49th Tiger Reserve of India. Spread over an area of 279.6 sq km, the national park is currently home to 125 one-horned rhinoceroses as per the latest census, up from 101 in 2018.

In what is being hailed as a major conservation milestone, not a single rhino has been killed by poachers in the park since 2018, thanks to the strict stance taken by the government and park authorities. Officials have confirmed that no incidents of poaching were reported at the park in the last six years since the 2018 count. On the occasion of World Rhino Day on Tuesday, the Mangaldai Media Circle extended its heartfelt greetings to the Divisional Forest Officer of Mangaldai Wildlife Division and Field Director of ONPTR, Pradipta Baruah, and to every officer and staff engaged in the protection of the park.

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