Prince William and Kate Middleton feed rhino calves at the Kaziranga National Park in Assam. (PTI Photo)
Highlights
- Poachers kill rhino using AK 47s at Kaziranga National Park
- Kaziranga is home to the world's biggest population of one-horned rhinos
- Royal couple spent two days at Kaziranga, met anti-poaching staff
Hours after England's future
King William and his wife Princess Kate Middleton visited the Kaziranga National Park, poachers shot dead a rhinoceros at the sprawling sanctuary using AK 47 guns.
Poachers had killed a female rhino just two days before the royal visit. The horns of both animals were hacked off.
Forest officials said they heard a burst of fire at about 11:10 pm on Wednesday, hours after the royal couple had driven through the park in an open jeep, with security vehicles escorting them. 88 empty cases fired from AK 47s were found near the adult rhino's body, they said.
88 empty cases fired from AK 47s were found near the adult rhino's body.
The rhino was killed about 20 km away from the Diphlu river lodge where Prince William and Princess Kate stayed for the night, before leaving for Bhutan on Thursday morning.
During their visit, Prince William and Princess Kate talked to villagers and forest officials about anti-poaching measures. Prince William enquired about the challenges officials face in their efforts to keep the animals safe from poachers and also asked if they required superior weapons.
Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and his wife Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge pose for a photograph with forest officials at Kaziranga National Park in Assam. (AFP Photo)
The Kaziranga park is a UNESCO world heritage site and home to the world's biggest population of the one horned rhino - about 2,400 at last count. Their horns are reportedly smuggled for millions of dollars.
Six rhinos have been killed by poachers this year, who subject the animals to unbearable pain before killing them. A veterinary surgeon who has conducted post mortems on rhinos killed by poachers for many years told NDTV earlier this week, "We have noticed that a lot of times, when the horn is sawed off, the skull is also fractured. This means the rhino's final hours are spent in such excruciating pain that you and I can perhaps not even begin to comprehend."
In the last few years, the Assam government has spoken about equipping a special force to protect Kaziranga's rhinos with latest weapons to tackle poachers. There have also been talks of drone surveillance at the national park.