closing on the heels of killing of four Rhinos in so called "highly protected" Kaziranga National Park, one rhino death at the state Zoo on 20th of January had caused many eyebrows raised. No postmortem was done in spite of having a renovated modern hospital with sophisticated equipments and so on. If the plight of a city based rhino is this, what about Orang or Pobitora rhino in a similar situation. What promoted the Zoo Authority that it is caused by Anthrax without ascertaining the findings? When 17 elephant died in June-Aug 2001 and a few of them inside Nameri NP it was immediately blown up that Liver Fluke caused the death( The Sentinel 15/08/2001). Next they the theory of Anthrax came. On the request of Mr H.P Phukan the then DFO (wl) western Assam W/L Div a doctors team from Early Birds rushed to collect the fresh blood sample from the nasal veins and deposited it to the Microbiology department of the Vetty college , khanapara next day. Since it was submitted by non governmental agencies it was not investigated and the department send a team of their own after formal request from the DFO and the dried up blood pull did not so any result! Ultimately the result came from the Forensic Sciene Laboratory ,Assam that it was neither Liver fluke nor Anthrax as propagated .It was consumption of pesticide, Demicron ( Sentinel 17/10/01).
The recent Zoo incident is an example of careless handling of the situation and it caused unnecessary panicky amongst all specially who resides in and around state Zoo as it can easily spreads to human.. With the burial of the carcass other possibilities of finding out the actual death caused had also gone. Six NGO�s protested the killing of rhinos �at will� last year, at kaziranga by organizing a peaceful demonstration and 12 hour fasting at the premises of Press club, Ambari on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti . NGO�s included Natures Beckon ,Early Birds, Natures Banyapran, Magamix , Natures Foster and Green Heritage .
