Guwahati, Sep 22 (PTI): Assam on Tuesday celebrated World Rhino Day, with Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma highlighting that the state is home to 80 per cent of the world’s rhinoceros population and that zero poaching cases were registered last year.
There are currently 3,260 rhinos in the state, and the government has so far destroyed 2,479 rhino horns seized from poachers.
Sarma, in a social media post, said, “This World Rhino Day, we let the numbers do the talking.”
Replying to a post of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on World Rhino Day, the CM later said his government remain committed to their protection, safeguarding them from encroachment, maintaining zero poaching and continuously enhancing their habitat to ensure a thriving environment for their survival.
“On World Rhino Day, we celebrate the magnificent greater one-horned rhinoceros and laud all those at the forefront of its protection. Assam now holds nearly 80 per cent of the world’s rhino population, and Kaziranga’s efforts to end rhino poaching have been extensively appreciated,’’ Modi said in a post on X. Sarma said that Kaziranga’s conservation story stands as a model for the world.
‘’With the Kaziranga Elevated Corridor, whose Bhumi Pujan you performed, we are set to further strengthen this ecosystem, particularly by improving safety and mobility for wildlife during the flood season. Your visit to this UNESCO World Heritage Site drew record tourist footfall and carried the story of our conservation efforts to a global audience,’’ he said in reply to the PM’s post.
Sarma said that guided by Modi’s vision, the state government remain committed to advancing this mission further and presenting India’s remarkable wildlife conservation journey to the world. “With the initiation of #ProjectRhino, our efforts will receive further boost in the days ahead,” Sarma said. Assam’s Environment and Forest Minister Jayanta Malla Baruah said that the government is committed to protecting the rhinoceros – one of the state’s most cherished symbols of natural heritage.
Malla Baruah, in another post, said, “The Greater One-Horned Rhino is our pride and a treasured part of Assam’s rich biodiversity. Under the leadership of Hon’ble CM Dr. @himantabiswa dangoriya, the Assam Government has continued to strengthen rhino protection, habitat conservation and anti-poaching efforts.”
“This year’s theme, ‘Keep the Five Alive’, reminds us of our shared responsibility to protect all five species: the White, Black, Greater One-Horned, Javan and Sumatran rhinos,” he said.
The chief minister’s office, in another post, said that on World Rhino Day, Assam celebrates its “incredible rhino story”.
“Under HCM Dr. @himantabiswa’s leadership, the state has taken several decisive steps to safeguard our rhinos, from strengthened anti-poaching measures to habitat restoration and conservation,” the CMO said.
