18th rhino killed in Kaziranga - this exceeds the figures of last year

The number of rhinos killed in Kaziranga National Park this year has crossed the figures of last year - it was the 18th rhino that was shot dead in the park and its horn was taken away. Last year, 17 rhinos were gunned down and in 2014, the figure was 27.
This year, one rhino was killed on the night of April 13, just after the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William and his wife Kate, had visited Kaziranga.
This has been reported in telegraphindia.com dated 23 December 2016.

The 18th rhino was a 10-year-old sub-adult male rhino. This is the second poaching incident within a week after the last killing on the night of December 14 inside the Burapahar range. From available evidence it appears that the rhino was gunned down early morning close to a pond near the Diphlu river. There was dense fog and even though shots were heard, the guards from the two camps failed to locate any person or any wounded rhino.
Subsequently, a rhino carcass with the horn removed was found in the pond. An used cartridge of .303 rifle was recovered from the site. The site of the incident is deep inside the forest, about 5-Km from National Highway 37 that passes through the park.
In the current year, five poachers have been killed in encounters with park guards and the police. Last year, the figure was 23 poachers were killed and 88 arrested. The Kaziranga park is spread over 899 square km on both banks of the Brahmaputra and is guarded by 1,200 men, including park staff under different categories. They are aided by the Assam Forest Protection Force personnel and home guards.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

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