Assam’s one-horned rhinos are all set to get their due recognition.
To create more awareness about Assam’s famous one-horned rhinoceros and to keep the global spotlight on the animal, the Assam Government has decided to commemorate September 22 as ‘Rhino Day’.
Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said this pn Thursday while participating in a meeting of State Board for Wildlife. “A day exclusively dedicated to the approximately 2,500 rhino population in the State will be a tribute to the rhinoceros which are the ‘pride of Assam’,” Sonowal said.
The Chief Minister added the State Government will also launch a State Rhino Project in line with National Rhino Project for the protection and conservation of rhinos. He also asked the State Board for Wildlife to raise a quick response team to rush to the area of incidents like animal deaths caused unnaturally.
Sonowal also asked the Board to initiate a survey of elephant corridors in the state with the help of WWF. “Identifying and mapping the elephant corridors throughout the state and taking remedial steps would greatly help in preventing accident related deaths to the elephants,” he said. He said that once elephant corridor mapping in completed, he would hold a meeting with the Railway Ministry to take remedial steps like creating tunnels or overpass for the elephants.
The meeting also discussed about setting up of an exclusive Institute of Wild life Health and Research to study diseases of wild animals and suggest appropriate treatment mechanism.
It may be mentioned here that with a close to 2,500
population of rhinos, Assam is also known as the State with highest density of rhinoceros in the world.