(IN): 2 rhinos killed in Kaziranga

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Link: http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080429/jsp/guwahati/story_9202449.jsp

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**2 rhinos killed in Kaziranga*

A STAFF REPORTER

 

*Guwahati, April 28:* After a lull, poachers struck again in Kaziranga,

killing two rhinos, including a calf, as the forest department geared up to

send 25 armed guards to Orang National Park where two rhinos were killed

last week.

 

The carcasses of the two rhinos at Kaziranga were found this morning at the

Agaratoli range of the national park. The horn was missing and tigers had

feasted on more than half of the carcass of the calf.

 

An official said the adult rhino's nails and part of the tail were also

missing along with the horn. He said this corroborated for the first time

confessions by a poacher that they have been asked by buyers to bring along

these body parts of the animal as proof that the horn was genuine.

 

Though the rhinos were believed to have been shot three days back, the

carcasses were recovered this morning from inside the woods near the Turtoni

anti-poaching camp. " The tiger which had eaten half of the calf was seen

moving around when we visited the site this morning, " Bankim Sarma, DFO,

Kaziranga National Park, said.

 

The official said there was a bullet mark on the head of the female rhino.

" It is not known whether the three-month-old calf was killed by poachers or

tigers, " he said.

 

With the latest killings, six rhinos have fallen prey to poachers' bullets

this year. The last incident took place on February 5. The park authorities

claimed to have identified the killers and have provided the names to

police.

 

The incident in Kaziranga comes at a time when the Assam forest department

has rushed 25 armed guards to Rajiv Gandhi Orang National Park which has now

become a soft target for poachers.

 

However, the poachers could not take away the horns. " The guards should

reach the park by tomorrow, " a park official told *The Telegraph*.

 

Three rhinos have been killed this year in Orang alone. Last year, three

rhinos were killed. Only three persons on an average are guarding an

anti-poaching camp in Orang whereas a minimum of 12 people were required to

man it in three shifts a day.

 

The park, on the north bank of the Brahmaputra, covers an area of 78.82

square km.

 

The Darrang district authorities, where the park is located, will introduce

a boat camp to check poaching.

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