Female rhino, calf poached in Kaziranga park, horn taken

Guwahati: A one-horned rhino cow and her calf were killed by poachers inside the Kaziranga National Park, said park official on Wednesday.

Park officials recovered the carcasses of the female rhino and its calf on Wednesday morning from Bagori range of the park. "The horn of the female rhino was missing while the calf was only three months old," said the park official.

"Normally the poachers take advantage of floods and kill rhinos. However, this year this is the first instance of poaching of rhinos during floods. Our guards have been working day and night to check the poachers," said a park official.

With the killing of the female rhino and its calf, poachers have so far killed 10 one-horned rhinos inside the park since January this year.

Apart from these 10, another 21 rhinos have died due to severe floods at the park since July 25 this year. Most of them died due to drowning and old age.

Search operations have been launched inside the park and fringe areas to catch the poachers involved.