Genetic analysis of 2,573 rhino horns completed in Kaziranga

A CORRESPONDENT

BOKAKHAT: At the centenary celebration centre of the forest department located at Kohora, Kaziranga, the six day-long genetic analysis of rhinoceros horn samples has been completed. According to a press statement issued by the Divisional Forest Officer of Kaziranga National Park, on September 22, 2021, the state of Assam took a bold initiative to verify the authenticity of rhino horns stored in various treasuries and forest department stockrooms across the state.

A total of 2,623 rhino horns were collected, and excluding those with unique identifiers or those involved in ongoing legal cases, all remaining horns were publicly burned at Rajabari playground in Bokakhat under the strict supervision and security led by the Chief Minister of Assam. Before this destruction, however, small samples from these horns were preserved for genetic and chemical analysis. This step, as mentioned in the press statement, could help improve the scientific management of the current rhino population.

Between July 3 and 8, a special team, authorized by the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife), tested and catalogued the stored samples at Kaziranga. Each of the 2,573 samples was examined, repackaged into small bottles, and sent to the Genetic Research Laboratory of the Wildlife Institute of India for further study.

The entire technical procedure was recorded and observed by independent experts and media representatives nominated to the overseeing committee. Notably, some of the samples were also preserved for future chemical analysis, as mentioned by the DFO. The DNA analysis of these samples will be conducted under the supervision of Dr Samrat Mondal at the Wildlife Institute of India’s Genetics Laboratory in Dehradun, which manages the RhoDIS India genetic database.

The objective of this analysis is to document the DNA profile of each rhino horn and include them in the RhoDIS India DNA data library. Experts believe this process will also help identify any changes over the years in STR allele frequency from horns stored across various regions of Assam.

To generate the DNA profiles from these rhino horn samples, the process established under RhoDIS India will be followed. This programme was launched in India in 2016 in collaboration with the Wildlife Institute of India and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF-India). RhoDIS India focuses on two major objectives: enhancing scientific methods in wildlife crime investigations, and providing technical support for the scientific management of India’s rhino population.

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