Authorities in India's northeastern state of Assam have now started using small aerial drones that can be launched by hand to spot poachers in the 430 sq kms Kaziranga National Park.
The poachers have been killing rhinos in large numbers to smuggle their horns to East and South-east Asian blackmarkets where they fetch up to 3 million Indian rupees for a full grown horn.
The rhino horn is used as aphrodiasic or in traditional medicines.
Twenty-two rhinos were killed in Kaziranga last year -- but 16 have been killed in the first three months of this year.
The rhino population in Kaziranga have registered a marginal rise this year – 2,290 rhinos were spotted in the park last month, up by a few hundred over 2011.
But wildlife experts say unless rampant poaching stops, the rhino numbers will start to dwindle soon.
The drones can fly a pre-programmed route at a maximum elevation of 200m (656ft) for up to 90 minutes, officials say.
They are light enough to be launched by hand and will be able to take images of the ground below with a still or video camera, they add.
Kaziranga chief warden NK Vasu says use of drones was a "milestone in wildlife protection".
"The Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) will go a long way in effective surveillance of the park," Vasu said.
Assam Forest Minister Rockybul Hussain said this was the first time that drones are being used for wildlife protection anywhere in India.
"The UAVs will deter poachers who will now have to reckon with surveillance from air as well as on ground," Hussain said.
The minister said it would now be possible to keep an eye on the remotest parts of the 430 sq km Kaziranga Park.
Drones and other successful anti-poaching measures have also been used by the WWF in nearby Chitwan National Park in Nepal, where the hunting of one-horned rhinos has been drastically reduced.
Kaziranga is home to two-thirds of the world's one-horned rhino population and also has a large number of elephants, tigers and other wildlife.
The rise in rhino poaching has triggered a furore in Assam where the animal is not merely a symbol of regional pride but also a source of huge tourism revenue as Kaziranga is the most visited of Assam's tourism sites.
In September, the government ordered India's top federal investigation agency Central Bureau of Investigation to probe a series of attacks on rhinos by suspected poachers during last year's floods in the state.
The poachers have been killing rhinos in large numbers to smuggle their horns to East and South-east Asian blackmarkets where they fetch up to 3 million Indian rupees for a full grown horn.
The rhino horn is used as aphrodiasic or in traditional medicines.
Twenty-two rhinos were killed in Kaziranga last year -- but 16 have been killed in the first three months of this year.
The rhino population in Kaziranga have registered a marginal rise this year – 2,290 rhinos were spotted in the park last month, up by a few hundred over 2011.
But wildlife experts say unless rampant poaching stops, the rhino numbers will start to dwindle soon.
The drones can fly a pre-programmed route at a maximum elevation of 200m (656ft) for up to 90 minutes, officials say.
They are light enough to be launched by hand and will be able to take images of the ground below with a still or video camera, they add.
Kaziranga chief warden NK Vasu says use of drones was a "milestone in wildlife protection".
"The Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) will go a long way in effective surveillance of the park," Vasu said.
Assam Forest Minister Rockybul Hussain said this was the first time that drones are being used for wildlife protection anywhere in India.
"The UAVs will deter poachers who will now have to reckon with surveillance from air as well as on ground," Hussain said.
The minister said it would now be possible to keep an eye on the remotest parts of the 430 sq km Kaziranga Park.
Drones and other successful anti-poaching measures have also been used by the WWF in nearby Chitwan National Park in Nepal, where the hunting of one-horned rhinos has been drastically reduced.
Kaziranga is home to two-thirds of the world's one-horned rhino population and also has a large number of elephants, tigers and other wildlife.
The rise in rhino poaching has triggered a furore in Assam where the animal is not merely a symbol of regional pride but also a source of huge tourism revenue as Kaziranga is the most visited of Assam's tourism sites.
In September, the government ordered India's top federal investigation agency Central Bureau of Investigation to probe a series of attacks on rhinos by suspected poachers during last year's floods in the state.
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