Carcass of an adult male rhino, killed by poachers and its horn taken away, was recovered at Kaziranga National Park (KNP) in Assam on Friday, taking the toll to 14 this year, a forest department official said.
The carcass of the rhino riddled with bullets and its horn sawn off was recovered near Balipukhuri forest camp in Agratoli Range of the Park, said DFO KNP Suvashish Das.
Forest guards at the park had heard gun shots the day before yesterday and launched a search operation leading to the recovery of the carcass today, he said.
Following the incident of poaching, State Forest Minister Pramila Rani Brahma has rushed to Kaziranga.
A Parliamentary Standing Committee for the welfare of Scheduled Tribes and Castes that visited Kaziranga National Park this week was “appalled” by the lax security in the World Heritage Site.
MP Kirip E Solanki heading the 18-member Committee told reporters that the team was “shocked” at the lack of security guards throughout the 430 sq km National Park with no fence or boundary to keep the animals safe from poachers.
The last incident of rhino poaching was reported on June 18 when the State Director General of Police was there to hold meetings in the Park’s Kohora Range office with officials of various departments on ensuring security and safety of rhinos and other animals there.
On June 6, an adult female rhino was killed by poachers and its horn taken away at Agratoli Range, when Brahma and two other Ministers accompanied by top forest department officials were on a tour of KNP to take stock of the frequent killing of rhinos.
Prior to that, during the visit of British Royal couple, Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge in April, a male rhino was shot dead by poachers using AK-47 rifle. - PTI
