Another one-horned rhino killed in Kaziranga, horn taken away

Guwahati: A day after the forest department in Assam killed a poacher in Assam's Kaziranga National Park, poachers have killed yet another rhino in the famous park and made away with its horn.

Park officials said that the carcass of the rhino was recovered from Tamulipathar area in Agaratoli range of the park and it is suspected that the animal was killed late Thursday.

The carcass had bullet injury mark and a .303 rifle was also recovered from near the carcass. The poachers sawed off the horn of the rhino, the officials said.

This is the ninth one-horned rhino killed at the Kaziranga National Park, a UNESCO world heritage site, this year.

On Wednesday night, an Assam Police Commando and a poacher were killed during an encounter inside the park.

While the guards patrolling the park foiled the attempt of the poachers, Assam Police commando Janak Deuri, who was deployed in the Kaziranga security, fell to the latter's bullets.

The poaching of one-horned rhinos is continuing unabated despite Assam Governor P.B. Acharya instructing the state forest department to take up steps to ensure their security.

Acharya, who had been expressing his concern over the issue since he took over the additional charge of Assam in December last year, has also been at loggerheads with Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi over the issue of rhino killings.

The governor had also favoured a complete overhaul of the security arrangements of the park and deployment of Army personnel.