Rhino horn piece puts Nagaland politicians in discomfort

A piece of rhino horn has triggered anxiousness among the many members of an affiliation of former lawmakers in Nagaland.

The Ex-Parliamentarians’ Association of Nagaland (EPAN) has been “disturbed” ever since an arrested contractor from Assam’s Karbi Anglong district disclosed that he had bought a piece of a rhino horn to a former Nagaland legislator. The horn had been sawn off a rhino shot in the Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve months in the past.

“Manshing Terang, the contractor from Diphu (headquarters of Karbi Anglong district), confessed to us that he sold a broken piece of the rhino horn to a former Nagaland MLA in August,” Piraisoodan B., Kaziranga’s assistant conservator of forest instructed journalists on October 2. He mentioned the contractor, well-known for his socio-cultural actions, claimed to have additionally met the spouse of the previous MLA.

On October 5, the EPAN sought the disclosure of the rhino horn piece purchaser’s title because the “suspense” over not naming the particular person involved has “tarnished the image” of Nagaland’s former legislators.

“Our association stands for the preservation of flora and fauna,” EPAN president Joshua Sumi mentioned, requesting Assam’s forest authorities to reveal the title of the MLA who allegedly purchased the piece.

P. Sivakumar, Kaziranga’s director mentioned the title of the customer can be revealed in spite of everything materials evidences are collected. “We know who he is,” he added.

The police and forest guards have caught virtually a dozen folks accused of poaching rhinos in Kaziranga and different wildlife reserves in Assam. Essentially compressed hair and rhino horns are bought in China and Southeast Asian nations in the idea that they act as an aphrodisiac.

The Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1985, has an estimated 2,413 rhinos. The park homes 55% of the world’s complete inhabitants of one-horned rhinos.