Rhino Poaching Remains Prevalent in Kaziranga Park: First for 2015

Poachers kill rhino in Kaziranga, 109 rhinos poached in Assam in three years

Poachers killed another one-horned rhino in Assam’s Kaziranga National Park (KNP) on Sunday and managed to escape with horn.

It was the first rhino poaching incident in Assam in the New Year.

The incident took place in the Kathalchang forest camp area under Burapahar range office in the national park where poachers killed a male rhino in the early hours of Sunday.

According to reports, a five member poacher group entered the park and killed the rhino near the forest camp around 4 am on Sunday.

“Forest guards recovered a bullet injured dehorned rhino carcass near the forest camp,” an official of KNP said.

Forest guards recovered several empty cartridge near the rhino carcass.

Assam lost a total of 109 one horned rhinoceros in the past three years to poachers.

A top official of the state forest department said that, poachers killed 44 rhinos in 2012, 29 in 2013 and 36 rhinos poached in 2014 in the four national parks, Kaziranga, Pobitora, Manas and Orang.

Hemanta Kumar Nath
Hemanta Kumar Nath is a correspondent in Assam, India, who reports on local news in Assam, the north east Indian state.