Guwahati, Feb 24:
Another full grown one-horned rhinoceros was shot dead by poachers yesterday at the Kaziranga National Park in Assam, sixth such incident in the past one month, an official said today.
Accoridng to the park authorities, the incident occurred last night near Tenga forest camp at the Agartoli range of the wildlife park.
Unlike the previous incidents, poachers this time managed to cut the horn and escaped unchallenged.
At least 18 rhinos were killed in 2008 and 14 in 2009. So far, six rhinos have been killed this year, five in Kaziranga and another at the Orang National Park in northern Assam.
Between 1980 and 1997, some 550 rhinos were killed by poachers in the wilds of Kaziranga.
As per the 2009 census report, 2,048 of the world's estimated 3,000 one-horned rhinos lumber around the swamps and grasslands of Kaziranga, their concentration here ironically making the giant mammals a favourite target of the poachers.
Poachers kill rhinos for their horns, which many believe contain aphrodisiac qualities, besides being used as medicines for curing fever, stomach ailments and other diseases in parts of Asia.
Rhino horn is also much fancied by buyers from the West Asia who turn them into handles of ornamental daggers. Elephant ivory tusks are chiefly used for making ornaments and decorative items.
Profits in the illegal rhino horn trade are staggering. A rhino horn sells for up to Rs 1.5 million per kg in the international market after the horns are smuggled to clandestine Asian markets.
Once extracted, the horn is routed to agents in places like Dimapur in Nagaland, Imphal in Manipur and Siliguri in West Bengal.
The horns are smuggled to Kathmandu via Siliguri and then to China and the West Asia. They are also taken from Imphal to Moreh on the Manipur border with Myanmar and then to Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore and China, the park authorities said.
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