Jorhat/Guwahati: Kaziranga National Park, a Unesco world heritage site about 250 km from Guwahati, lost its second rhino to poachers in the first month of new year.

The latest rhino was poached on Sunday, taking the death toll to two this year so far. The killing took place near Sanak anti-poaching camp in the park's Burapahar forest range around 2 am on Sunday.

Forest staff found empty cartridges from the spot. An extensive search operation has been launched to nab the poachers.

"On hearing gunshots near the Sanak forest camp, forest guards conducted a search and came across the carcass of the rhino with its horn removed. But the poachers' gang escaped from the spot," said Kaziranga DFO S K Seal Sharma.

He added the rhino was an adult female and veterinarians have conducted an autopsy in the afternoon. Widlife crime experts said in the past, too, militants from neighbouring Karbi Anglong district were found involved in poaching rhinos to make fast bucks. China and Vietnam have emerged as the largest market of rhino horns where rhino body parts are used for making traditional medicines.

On January 12, poachers killed an adult female rhino near Sitolmari anti-poaching camp in the park's Bagori forest range and escaped with its horn.



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