Kaziranga rhino killed, horn removed

The day British royals Prince William and his wife Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, were taking a safari ride in the world-famous Kaziranga National Park, poachers killed an adult rhino in the park and took away its horn.

Though it was not known if the British couple came to know about the incident, the poaching has caused anguish among wildlife activists in the state.

According to forest officials, the forest guards of Botahi Beel forest camp at Burapahar range heard several gunshots on Wednesday night. On hearing the sound, they immediately rushed to the site and found the carcass of the rhino.

The poachers had fled by then. It was the seventh rhino poached in Kaziranga National Park in 2016 alone while the park lost at least 17 rhinos in 2015.

The incident has come as shocker as state authorities claimed that security in and around the national park was intensified in view of the visit of the royal couple, who on Wednesday also visited the Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation near Kaziranga park.

They interacted with the animal keepers and even hand-fed some of the orphaned animals being reared at CWRC — elephant calves Buree and Murphuli, just a few months old when they were rescued last October, now being raised on milk formula by their keepers, and Dunga, a male rhino, the youngest and newest resident at CWRC and best of friends with the two female elephant calves. The duchess was keen on knowing more about the youngest rhino calf.

The royal couple expressed their desire to extend financial assistance for the development and conservation of wildlife sanctuaries in the state.