Union Environment Minister Jayanti Natarajan has announced a one crore rupee package for world-famed Kaziranga National Park to tackle the situation arising there out of waves of flood and consequent death of animals.

The money has been sanctioned from the Tiger Reserve Fund for the world famous Park where a total 39 rhinos have been killed in and around it in less than 10 months.

Mrs. Natarajan, who reviewed the situation in the Park following the devastating floods and recent incidents of rhino poaching, also announced that five country boats and four speed boats would be immediately sanctioned to the Park to help in the rescue and protection of animals.

The union minister, who was accompanied by Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, also stressed the need to strengthen the network between different agencies engaged in wildlife protection.

Referring to recent incidents of poaching in the Park, she said the Wildlife Crime Control Board was conducting an inquiry into the killings and necessary action would be taken after the submission of the report.

The involvement of militants in poaching has been established and the concerned department was taking steps accordingly.

Measures were also being taken to increase the number of forest guards to ensure increased vigil and patrolling in the Park.

There were plans to construct flyovers from Bokakhat to Jakhalabandha on NH 37 which runs through the Park to prevent killing of animals when they cross to the highlands in adjacent Karbi Anglong district during the floods.

In Assam, the death of 39 rhinos in and around the world-famous Kaziranga National Park in less than 10 months , has brought to the fore the threat faced by the endangered animal. The threat comes from poachers, who kill the rare one-horned rhinoceros for its prized horn whose price in the international market varies from 40 lakh to 90 lakh rupees, and also from flood which is an annual occurrence in Assam. Early last month, the poachers killed five rhinos in four days, taking advantage of the flood waters that submerged 90 per cent of the UNESCO world heritage site. The poachers in the most gruesome act, removed the animals' horns and left them to bleed to death while the forest guards failed to have an inkling. आभास  आहट  The poaching is blamed mostly on illegal Bangladeshi migrants while not ruling out the involvement of militants of the Karbi Peoples' Liberation Tigers. Coupled with the rampant poaching, is the lack of adequate staff in the heritage sanctuary and equipment with the state forest department. The Kaziranga National Park boasts of a 2,290-strong rhino population as per the last census conducted this year. Assam Forest Minister Rakibul Hussain confirmed the killing of 11 rhinos by poachers, including six inside the park, and five in the neighbouring Karbi Anglong district where the animals shifted to escape the flooded forest. He also said that another 28 rhinos drowned in the floods during the year. Mr. Hussain said, the state government has taken adequate steps to deal with the spurt in poaching which include recommending a CBI inquiry into poaching cases during the last three years and deployment of Army and central para military forces in areas adjoining the national park to foil the attempts of poachers. He said that a hundred-member team of the elite Assam Forest Protection Force for the protection of the animal has been sent to the Park.