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Jorhat, Dec. 14: The carcass of a bullet-riddled male rhino, with its horn chopped off, was found on a remote chapori (sandbar) by the Brahmaputra inside Kaziranga National Park today.
Park director Surajit Dutta told The Telegraph that given the condition of the carcass, the animal may have been killed two to three days ago.
Patrolling on boat has been intensified in the Bisbelly chapori area, which was the sixth addition to the park’s area in recent times.
With the recovery of the rhino carcass today, the number of rhinos killed by poachers in and around the park has gone up to five this year.
On August 30, a female rhino was killed by poachers in Burapahar range of the park for her horn.
Park authorities have been facing problems in guarding rhinos, since the animal is wont to stray out of the park.
At least five rhinos wandered out of the park recently, of which one was shot dead by poachers at Khat Chapori, under Golaghat forest range, about 50km from the national park, about 13 days ago.
“Four rhinos were traced last week in various areas of Jorhat and Golaghat forest ranges. Though forest department staff were guarding them and trying to chase them back to the park, it is very difficult to do so since the animals are constantly on the move,” a park official said today.
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