27.9.12

Somewhere in Assam....



Poachers killed and chopped off the horns of two one-horned rhinos that had strayed out of Assam’s Kaziranga National Park to escape floodwaters on Wednesday.
A large part of the world heritage site, about 250km from Guwahati, remains submerged.
Poachers chopped the horn of a male rhino along with its ear while it was still alive. The carcass was later found at Parkupahar in Karbi Anglong hills adjoining Kaziranga. Forest officials found the carcass of the other rhino on Wednesday, with the horn missing, at Gotonga area in Bagori range of the park. Poachers attacked the rhino while the animal was moving to an elevated place to escape the deluge inside the park.
The killings occurred four days after a rhino was shot dead in the periphery of Kaziranga.


The park has lost four rhinos in a week. Poaching has claimed 14 rhinos this year. In June, poachers killed two rhinos that had strayed out of the park during the first wave of floods. 



 This time, Kaziranga experienced the worst floods in the past eight years. Nearly 700 animals, including 19 rhinos, perished in the first wave of the deluge in June this year. The floods have also disturbed the anti-poaching mechanism, making patrolling difficult. Almost 80% of the 430 sq km park is still under water. About 114 of 152 anti-poaching camps have been submerged and 14 camps had to be shifted following the rise in the water level in the park.

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