By IANS
New Delhi : A mother rhinoceros, which was shot at early Sunday and seriously injured by poachers in Assam’s Kaziranga national park, died Monday, officials said.
“It was a very sad moment for all of us,” Uttam Saikia, a wildlife expert who was part of the rescue team, told IANS by phone.
“We have recovered 10 cartridges from the site. A .303 rifle and a .315 rifle have been used in the crime,” Saikia said.
Early Sunday, poachers shot down the rhino’s calf and seriously injured the animal in a paddy field near Methoni tea estate barely two kilometres from the famed Kaziranga national park.
“The animal was still alive when the poachers ruthlessly cut its horn out. We tried our best in the past 24 hours to save her, but failed to do so,” he said.
A post-mortem examination was conducted to ascertain the number of bullet injuries on both animals.
“The mother rhinoceros had two bullet injuries, one on the neck and the other on the left side of its cheek,” the wildlife expert said.
This is the second case of rhino poaching this year in Kaziranga. So far, three rhinos have been killed this year.
On Jan 4, an adult female rhinoceros was killed in Bagori range of the park.
According to the expert, the poachers have changed their techniques as they are poaching more often near the National Highway-37 and are using vehicle to flee the site.
“It’s a big challenge for the authorities to trace the poachers,” he said.
Last year, around 20 rhinoceros were killed in the park.