Poachers kill two rhinos in Assam, escape with horns

Two one-horned rhinos were poached in isolated sandbars of Brahmaputra river in the last 48 hours, forest officials said Friday.

Both the rhino carcasses, which were recovered by forest officials Friday, bore bullet injuries. The horns were missing, and poachers are suspected to have made off with these.

This is the first case of rhino poaching this year, officials said.

While one rhino carcass was recovered at sandbar Chitalmari under Morigaon district, the other was recovered at an isolated sandbar of the Brahmaputra in Sonitpur district.

"Both the rhinos had strayed out of the protected area and were killed by poachers," Principal Chief Conservator of Forest, Assam, Suresh Chand said. He added that department officials were trying to find out whether the rhinos were from Kaziranga National Park or Rajiv Gandhi National Park, Orang.

According to forest department estimates, over 40 one-horned rhinos were killed in Assam last year.

Of the rhinos killed last year, it was established beyond doubt that at least 12 were poached. Six of the poaching cases occurred within the high-security Kaziranga National Park. - IANS