6 rare rhinos's killed in last 4 months

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GAUHATI, India - Authorities are searching for poachers who have killed six rare one-horned rhinoceros in the past four months in a protected game reserve in India's northeastern Assam state, the state's chief warden said Tuesday.

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Two of the animals were killed in the past week inside the famed Kaziranga National Park, a 166-square mile habitat, said M.C. Malakar, Assam state's chief wildlife warden.

A spurt in poaching has surprised authorities because only five rhinos were killed in 2006 and seven in 2005.

"It is clear funds are flowing to attract shooters to kill rhinos for their horns and we can't rule out poaching syndicates within India and from abroad backing this fresh campaign at targeting rhinos in Kaziranga," Malakar told The Associated Press.

Rhino horns are in great demand globally, particularly in Southeast Asia, for their alleged efficacy in producing aphrodisiacs and traditional medicines. Some people also use them to make decorative dagger handles.

Kaziranga, nearly 135 miles east of Gauhati, the capital of Assam state, has an estimated 1,855 one-horned rhinos out of the estimated global population of some 3,000, according to the last census taken in March 2006.

Conservation efforts have led to a rise in the rhino population and they are now found even on the periphery of the park, making them easier targets for poachers, Malakar said.

The Assam Wildlife Crime Prevention Unit has suggested improvements in the infrastructure of the park and acquiring new speed boats for guards to quickly navigate the streams that crisscross the reserve.

Conservationists, however, say wildlife authorities have annoyed people living in the park's vicinity by not compensating them for loss of their crops ravaged by wild elephants and other animals.

"Poachers are often locals. To get intelligence about poachers' plans, it is very important to have a friendly set of villagers around the park," said Soumyadeep Dutta, who heads Natures Beckon, a conservation group.

According to government figures, 650 one-horned rhinos have been killed in Kaziranga in the past 40 years.

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http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070417/...PZZP8AklMPLBIF

Man ppl are so damn greedy , what are they going to do when this rhino is extinct , cant bring em back for future generations to enjoy. I hope they find the killers and hang them , now im not no animal actavist that doesnt believe in killing animals and what not but when there is so few a certain animal there is no reason to other than greed.

Killing any animal is wrong. How would they feel if we killed them? (like you said) There are a lot of animals extinct or on the verge of it. Poachers are be so d*mn (not sure if we can say that, but its the truth) stupid; they don't even think about how much trouble they'd be in if they were caught. You can tell if they did think about it, the wouldn't be poaching then. Lol, gosh... so many problems in the world; this is just one of them... oh well. I guess all that we can do is hope they'll stop. :)

people are animals - they kill each other and they kill off other animals - they are destroying the planet, the only way for it to stop is for superman to take control and thats not gonna happen

And to think Superman calls himself the best superhero of all times... it's pitiful. Doing that would make him much better. You know, I was thinking about the human thing. I already knew that humans are animals, but I have a question about it. You probably know what Pokemon is, right? One of my friends was playing a Pokemon game (even though I'm not into that) and it made me think. There are no animals in Pokemon; there are only Pokemon and humans. So would humans be a type of Pokemon in those games? I know it's a little off-topic, but I was wondering about it.

I don`t think so lol...Pokemons are pokemons, they have like powers..lol...and the humans are like..us?? Not sure lol.

It's a strange question. But it made me wonder.... Well, lol, back to the topic.

Some people make me sick :(

I can't believe how some people think... it's just cruel.