Forest rangers in northeast India shot dead two poachers on Wednesday at a wildlife sanctuary where 13 threatened one-horned rhinos have been killed in the past two months.
According to officials, four men entered KazirangaNational Park, 200 kilometers from Assam’s main city Guwahati, early on Wednesday and fired at a rhino.
Park warden NK Vasu said the shot, which missed its target, alerted forest guards who rushed to the spot.
“A fierce encounter took place between the two sides in which two of the poachers were killed,” Vasu said, adding that a rifle had also been recovered.
Last week forest rangers engaged in a gun battle with poachers for over seven hours but failed to prevent the killing of another rhino whose valuable horn was gouged out.
Wildlife experts say the price of a single rhino horn rivals gold and its value attracts international organised crime groups.
China is the main market, where it is used for medicine and jewellery, while in Vietnam many believe that rhino horn can cure cancer and has aphrodisiac qualities.
