According to Assistant Conservation Officer Ganesh Pant, the rhinos were killed by poachers between September 2008 and June 2009. The first rhino was killed on September 8, 2008, at Gaidasaakha. The last one was killed near Bhawanipur inside the park on June 5, 2009.
Most rhinos died during the month of March in which four were killed by poachers, while one died of natural cause. No rhino was killed in the months of October, November and January.
When the Maoist conflict was at its peak during 2001, 37 rhinos were killed. Protecting members of the endangered species was difficult back then due to low security presence.
But now, the budget for checking poaching in the park has been increased along with the increase in the number of security posts. There were 408 rhinos in the park in 2008.
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