Assam Aims To Be Home To 3,000 Rhinos By 2020: Reports

Guwahati: Assam is known for its biodiversity and to enhance it even further, the state has chalked out plans to boost the population of rhinos to 3000 by next year.

The said project will be executed with the help of the Rhino Translocation Project and the range of the species is to be expanded in seven protected parks of the state. The rhino translocation project was launched in 2005. Listed as ‘Vulnerable’ the one-horned rhinos have been translocated from Kaziranga, Orang and Pobitora in Assam.

The ambitious conservation project identified the Manas National Park as the key area where most of the rhinos were to be trans-located. However, the plan became fruitless due to the rise of poaching incidents during the decade of civil unrest between 1989 and 2001. Following this, the first rhino translocation was conducted in Assam in 2008. Two male adult Indian rhinos were successfully translocated to Manas National Park.

The rhino translocation project is a joint project of the Government of Assam and WWF India and is supported by the International Rhino Foundation and US Fish and Wildlife Service.

The latest census counted 2,413 one-horned rhinos in the world heritage site Kaziranga National Park.

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Government of Assam