13 Jun, 2018

Poachers Dawn Kaziranga Again: Forest Officials Shot Poacher Down But Failed to Save the Rhino

It seems like there is no good news in store for the famed tourist attraction of Assam as on Monday night, 12 June, Kaziranga National Park lost another one-horned rhino. Sad but true, it's just been 6 months, and this is the 6th heartbreaking news of the death of the one-horned rhino in the Bagori range of the national park. Even though one of the poachers was killed, the forest officials failed to save the rhino. Along with the rhino horn, the forest officials also found a .303 rifle, two bags full of poaching material and ammunition on the site, Rohini Ballav Saikai, Divisional forest officer of Kaziranga added on the news. Unfortunately, the dead body of the one horned rhino is yet to be found for which the search operation is in full swing.

[Also Read: Kaziranga National Park Faces Loss of 4th One-Horned Rhino for 2018]

It all started when the forest officials of the national park heard gunshots in Kaoimari forest camp at Bagori which led them to start a search operation following the sound, according to Rohini Ballav Saikai. Soon after the forest officials caught a sight of the poachers who started firing from the Nalamukh anti-poaching camp that comes under the Bagori range. The only good thing about this incident is that the poachers could not escape with the horn as, during the exchange of fire, 1 of the 5 poachers was shot down at the Bagori range of the national park while the others managed to flee away. The wounded body of the poacher was discovered soon after the forest team started off with the search operation and is yet to be identified.