Kaziranga- On Tuesday, a one-horned rhino was killed by poachers in the Kaziranga National Park. This was the first incident of poaching recorded this year in Assam.
According to the reports, the rhino was killed and its horn was cut off from the body and taken. The forest officials found the carcass of the rhino Hanuman forest camp in the Kohora range of the national park.
"The rhino was killed and its horn was taken away by the poachers three-four days back," stated a forest official adding that it was the first incident of poaching recorded this year.
In August last year, an incident of poaching of this endangered species came to light from the Kohora range of the Kaziranga National Park. In the same national park in May 2020 poachers had killed and chopped off the horn of a rhino. Read more
Three incidents of poaching of the endangered one-horned rhino were reported from the Kaziranga National Park.
The great one-horned rhino, revered as the state animal of Assam, is currently facing the threat of extinction due to human harassment and encroachment. The other factors like mass mortality due to inbreeding, diseases, and loss of habitat have also contributed to the decline in the numbers of this magnificent beast. There are an estimated 35000 Indian rhinos left in this world out of which 82 percent is found in India. Once upon a time the mighty Indian rhinos were in abundance across the Indus, the Ganges, and the Brahmaputra river basins, and now it has reduced to only a few areas of Assam, West Bengal, UP, and Bihar mostly in protected reserves and with the help of certain organizations, the population of the rhinos are being brought back from the edge of extinction.
Recently, Indian cricketing ace and Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma made the headlines for batting for the cause of "saving the rhinos" in a unique gesture during the 2021 IPL opener. He was spotted wearing a shoe that had a design of the endangered species with the message "save the rhinos." The 31-year-old cricketing ace also launched the campaign called "Rohit4Rhinos" partnering up with WWF India and Animal Planet.