Poachers kill another rhino in Chitwan

Poachers have killed another rare one-horned rhino in the Chitwan National Park.

The poachers shot and killed the rhino at Chisapari area of Shaktikhor VDC, Chitwan district, and got away with its precious horn, reports said.

The National Park officials found the dead rhino Tuesday afternoon.

Chisapani lies between the camp of the 3rd Division of the Maoist People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and their Bethan Memorial Brigade. Reports said the PLA men prevented armed forest guards from reaching Chisapani, insisting that they would not allow armed persons around the campsite.

This was the 12th one-horned rhino, also known as rhinoceros unicornis, killed in Chitwan in the last five months. Poachers had killed ten rhinos on different dates while the locals ambushed two rhinos to death in an attempt to keep them from destroying their crops.

A survey in 2005 showed that the population of one-horned rhinoceros, in the 1000-sq km national park had fallen to 372, its lowest level in 10 years, down from 544 in 2000. nepalnews.com mk Jan 02 06

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