Indian forest officials stand near the body of a one horned horn
rhinoceros, which was killed and de-horned by poachers at Burapahar in
Kaziranga National Park, some 250km east of Guwahati on Wednesday, Aug
21, 2013. An armed gang has killed two rare rhinoceros at a wildlife
park in north-east India, officials said on Thursday, Aug 22, 2013,
adding that drones deployed to stem the rising number of killings have
been halted. -- PHOTO: AFP
Poachers used assault rifles to shoot dead the rhinoceros before gouging out their horns at the park in Assam state on Wednesday, taking the total number slaughtered there this year to 27, officials said.
"Poachers used AK 47 to shot dead the rhinos. We have recovered empty cartridges from the site of the incident," a park ranger said, requesting not to be named.
Assam forest minister Rockybul Hussain said the killings at Kaziranga National Park, a world heritage site, were carried out by "militants", while declining to name the outfit thought responsible.
