Visitors at Kaziranga National Park. (PTI)

Guwahati, Nov. 18: The Assam forest department has asked the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) to have a specialist in the rhino task force for Kaziranga.

The NTCA had constituted a four-member task force recently to suggest ways to strengthen rhino conservation in Kaziranga National Park.

A spurt in poaching of rhinos in the World Heritage Site has become a concern for the state and the Centre despite strong measures being taken to bring it under control.

Altogether 22 rhinos have been killed this year till date while 27 fell to poachers last year.

“We are asking the NTCA to have a rhino specialist in the task force as none of the current members are rhino experts,” a senior forest department official told The Telegraph.

The committee has been asked to submit its report within three weeks.

The task force has been asked to suggest measures to improve field monitoring of rhinos with the state-of-art methodology besides measures for proactive safeguards for rhinos and wild animals to prevent mortality during floods.

This apart, it has also been asked to suggest measures for special monitoring of rhinos and other wild animals in corridors along National Highway 37.

The committee has also been asked to give special emphasis on involvement of local community in rhino protection.

“We have been taking steps for improving rhino conservation and have got some good results this year,” the official said.

Union minister of state (independent charge) for environment, forests and climate change Prakash Javadekar had recently announced the setting up of a special rhino protection force for Kaziranga National Park comprising local youths to curb poaching.

He had also said a policy for zero-tolerance would be followed for poachers and all efforts would be taken by all agencies to curb poaching.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in its World Heritage Outlook report on Kaziranga released last month had voiced concern on the recent spike in rhino poaching after decades of conservation success.

Kaziranga field director M.K. Yadava has already sent a detailed report to Gauhati High Court on issues and possible solutions for long-term protection of the rhinos in Kaziranga National Park.

The report has called for modernisation of the strike force, forest guards and other frontline staff by upgrading the anti-poaching infrastructure.

The Assam government has already constituted a task force to evolve a strategy to prevent rhino poaching headed by an additional director-general of police (special task force).