GUWAHATI, JAN 3: Due to strict vigil by armed commandos and forest personnel, and use of sophisticated technology has helped Assam achieve the target of zero poaching of one-horned rhinos during 2022.
The last poaching incident took place on December 28, 2021 at Hilakunda, Kohora in Golaghat district.
While interacting with media persons on Sunday, Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that in the year 2023 no rhino poaching incident took place across the state.
“This is probably after 20-25 years, Assam has not reported poaching of a single rhino during a year,” Sarma told reporters.
In June 2021, the Assam government formed a 22-member task force headed by special director General of police (law and order) GP Singh and deployed armed commandos for vigil and strict action against poachers.
The decision of the government in setting up of the 22-member task force brought success for the state by zero poaching of rhino in the last year.
The task force was comprised of senior forest officers and SPs of at least 11 districts (Golaghat, Nagaon, Karbi Anglong, Biswanath, Sonitpur, Darrang, Morigaon, Baksa, Chirang, Barpeta and Majuli) and divisional forest officers (six wildlife divisions).
Earlier, poaching has become a serious concern for people because every year numbers of rhino were poached in the sanctuaries and National parks of Assam.
In 2014 and 2015 witnessed the highest incidents of rhino poaching at 17 each. At least 18 rhinos were killed in 2016 and the number of poaching reduced thereafter and only one rhino was killed in 2021.
“Our efforts against average hunting have yielded good result. In the last year of 2022, not a single average poacher has been killed in Assam. The last such incident took place on December 28, 2021, at Hilkund in Kahra in Golaghat district. Our efforts against poaching will continue,”.