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Rhino carcass in Dudhwa Reserve points to poachers
A mutilated carcass of a rhino, believed to be of a male and suspected to have been killed by poachers for its horn, was recovered in Sonaripur range by the Dudhwa Tiger Reserve authorities on Tuesday.
Two persons have been arrested in this connection. Chief Wildlife Warden BK Patnaik, who visited the place where the carcass was found, said that investigations were going on and all posibilities were being looked into to ascertain the cause of death.
The carcass was recovered from Kakarha Tal area. The condition of the carcass indicated that the animal had died about one-and-half months back, said Deputy Director of Dudhwa Tiger Reserve, Ganesh Bhat.
Following recovery of a rhino horn in the neighbouring Nepal, investigations were initiated into the matter. “Two persons have been held for interrogation, while samples from the carcass have been sent to WII, Dehradun, to match the DNA with that of the recovered horn in Nepal,” he said.
The Forest authorities in Kailali, Nepal had arrested three poachers along with a rhino horn. During interrogation, the poachers told the Nepal Forest officials that they had purchased the horn from an Indian of Basantapur village in Kheri.
Patnaik said the carcass was badly decomposed and appeared to be eaten by tiger recently.
