India Says Poachers Cut Rhino Herds
<i> Associated Press</i>
NEW DELHI —
Poachers hunting the rhinoceros for its so-called aphrodisiac horn have severely reduced the animal’s population in West Bengal state, India’s Environment Minister Maneka Gandhi said Monday.
Only 39 rhinoceroses remain in the eastern state, compared to 88 in 1970, she told Parliament.
At least 20 rhinos are killed each year in India. Their horns are removed and sent to Hong Kong or Singapore to be turned into powder and sold as an aphrodisiac.
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