Rhino Killed in India Park Hours After Royal Family's Visit

Rhino was de-horned by poachers
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 14, 2016 2:15 PM CDT
Rhino Killed in India Park Hours After Royal Family's Visit
Britain's Prince William touches a baby rhino as his wife Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge watches at the Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation (CWRC), at Panbari reserve forest in Kaziranga, in the north-eastern state of Assam, India, April 13, 2016.   (Adnan Abidi/ Pool photo via AP)

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visited India's Kaziranga national park Wednesday, where Prince William was reportedly appalled after seeing footage of the mutilated remains of a rhino recently killed by poachers. Just 10 hours after his and wife Kate Middleton's visit ended, and while they were staying at a lodge just 12 miles away, another rhino was killed and de-horned by poachers, the Guardian reports. It was the sixth rhino poachers have killed in the park this year.

"Our forest guards who rushed to the spot on hearing gunshots were engaged in an exchange of fire with the poachers, but the culprits managed to escape under the cover of darkness," an officer for the park tells the Indian Express. Additional security had been utilized while the royal family was visiting, and Prince William spoke to the head of the park about conservation issues and how to fight poaching. During their safari in the park, the royal couple had come within 50 yards of one of the rare one-horned rhinos that live in the park, the BBC reports. (More poaching stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X