poachers shot dead two endangered one-horned rhinos fleeing the flooded Kaziranga Wildlife Sanctuary in Assam.
The incident in the second week of August puts the toll of rhinos killed this year at 12--double the number of rhinos killed each year in the past
decade.
Poaching has aggravated this year due to monsoon flooding in the river Brahmaputra. Floodwater has submerged almost the entire sanctuary. The
rhinos killed were among hundreds of the animals strayed outside the national park in search of highlands to avert the flooding. Some animals even
strayed into the nearby human settlements, falling prey to poachers.
"Global market demands for rhino horns have increased poaching. The latest spurt is because of lack of enforcement of law," says Ashok Kumar of
the Wildlife Trust of India. The state forest officials say they are strengthening the intelligence wing to control poaching.The department is also
considering to seek help from village volunteers.
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