Kaziranga, Assam:
A male adult rhino was killed by poachers and its horn taken away today in Kaziranga National Park (KNP), taking the number of rhinos killed this year to 27, a Forest Department official said.
Forest guards in KNP heard gun shots around 1.30 pm and launched a search operation before recovering the carcass of the rhino near Kathalchang forest camp in Burapahar Range of the park, KNP Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) S K Seal Sarma told PTI.
The body of the pachyderm had bullet injuries in three places and its horn sawed away, Sarma said.
Six empty cartridges of 303 rifles were recovered from near the rhino, he said.
A search operation has been launched to trace the poachers.