A decomposed carcass of an adult male rhino with its horn removed was recovered from Bagori Range of Kaziranga National Park (KNP), taking the number of rhinos killed by poachers this year to 13.
Based on the confessions of arrested poachers about killing the rhino about 20 days ago, the body of the rhino was searched out today from near Adarkathoni forest camp, Forest Department sources said.
Six empty cartridges of 303 rifles were recovered from near the carcass, the sources said.
About 15 poachers were nabbed following an encounter with them in KNP on May 28 when one of them was killed near Kanchanguri forest camp in Bagori Range, they said.
Last month four rhinos were killed in the Park in quick succession and their horns taken away.
Earlier on May 23 an adult female rhino was gunned down in Agratoli Range of the World Heritage Site by poachers who also took away its horn.
On May 18, a female adult rhino and its horn sawed off by a six-member poachers gang near Debeswari Camp in the same Agratoli Range.
On May 5, yet another adult female rhino was killed and its horn taken away from Bagori Range of KNP, while on May 2 a male adult pachyderm was gunned down and its horn also taken away by poachers near Arikati camp, under Agaratoli Range.
This was close on the heels of another rhino falling to poachers bullets in Kaziranga National Park on April 30 and its horn taken away from near Borgung Camp on the western side of Burapahar Range of the Park.
On March 19, another rhino was killed and its horn taken away in Kohora Range of KNP.
