Assam Forest and Environment Minister Rockybul Hussain on Friday informed the state assembly that the present strength of frontline staff of the Kaziranga National Park (KNP) was not sufficient to protect rhinos and other animals there.
Replying to a question by Communist Party of India (CPI) member Drupad Borgohain, Mr. Hussain said the strength of the frontline staff in 152 camps inside the park was 386 and this remained unchanged for the past 20 years though the area had doubled and the rhino population grown from 1,069 to over 2,000.
According to the 2009 census there are 2,201 rhinos in Assam of which 2,048 (the largest population of one-horned rhinos in the world) are found in this World Heritage Site. The present area of KNP is 940 sq.km.
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