Jorhat: A female adult rhino was killed by poachers and its horn was taken away in Kaziranga National Park in Assam taking the toll to 12 in 2016 and two in June, a forest official said.
The carcass of the bullet riddled pachyderm killed on Sunday night was recovered on Monday from near Amkattoni camp in Bagori Range in the southern part of the Park along river Brahmaputra, DFO Subashis Das said.
Six empty cartridges of 303 rifle were recovered from near the body of the rhino, he said.
DGP Mukesh Sahay on Sunday held meetings in the Park's Kohora Range office with KNP officials and security personnel, Forest Department officials, Village Defence Party (VDP) personnel and police officials on ensuring security and safety of rhinos and other animals there.
Earlier on June 6 when Assam Forest Minister with two other Ministers accompanied by top Forest Department officials were on a tour of KNP, a female adult rhino was killed by poachers and its horn taken away at Agratoli Range of the World Heritage Site.
Forest Minister Pramila Rani Brahma and her cabinet colleagues Kesab Mahanta and Atul Mahanta were on a tour of the Park to take stock of the frequent killing of rhinos and erosion there with Principal Chief Conservator of Forest and other top Forest Department officials.
Prior to that during the visit of the British royal couple, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge Prince William and Kate to the Park in April 2016, a male rhino was shot dead by poachers using AK-47 assault rifles.
In May, a poacher had killed another adult male rhino in the Park and took away its horn.
Meanwhile, the Assam government on June 17 placed the Kaziranga National Park Director Mufakkher Ali under suspension for "dereliction of duty" by allegedly trying to conceal from the Forest Minister the June 7 rhino poaching incident that had taken place when the minister was on a tour of the Park.
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