Photo: D.K. Bhaskar.In 2012, a total of 22 rhinos were poached. Forest officials recovered the body of the latest male rhino near the Burhapahar range. The rhino was killed during the night of September 17, and its horn chopped off.
“The male rhino was gunned down between Khorali and Borbhug forest camps," a forest official said. Forest guards reportedly responded to gunshots around 8 pm. A senior forest official said there was a heavy exchange of gunfire between the poachers and the forest guards for nearly one and a half hours, but the department's efforts failed to prevent the poachers from escaping with the horn.
“Today morning, we launched the operation again when the rhino carcass was recovered with its horn sawed away and empty cartridges of AK 47 and .303 rifles were scattered near it," the official added.
Author: Jennifer Scarlott.
Please sign and share the Sanctuary/Avaaz petition to stop rhino poaching: Stop the Rhino Killers.
For more detail about the threats to Assam's rhinos, as well as information about how to participate in an ongoing Sanctuary letter-writing campaign to save the rhino, please go to: Save Assam's Rhinos!
