Assam marked World Rhino Day — September 22 — with a special ceremony by burning a stockpile of nearly 2,500 horns of the one-horned rhinoceros.

=> It has been publicised as a milestone towards rhino conservation and is aimed at busting myths about rhino horns.

=> It’s a loud and clear message to the poachers and smugglers that such items have no value.

Is the government allowed to do so?

India is a signatory to CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna). Thus, it is illegal to sell the horns in the country anyway.

• Also, the case for the destruction of horns is a process that is in compliance with Section 39(3)(c) of the Wildlife (Protection) Act of 1972.

About One- horned rhinos:

=> Only the Great One-Horned Rhino is found in India.

=> Also known as Indian rhino, it is the largest of the rhino species.

=> It is identified by a single black horn and a grey-brown hide with skin folds.

=> They primarily graze, with a diet consisting almost entirely of grasses as well as leaves, branches of shrubs and trees, fruit, and aquatic plants.

Protection Status:

=> IUCN Red List: Vulnerable.

=> Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES): Appendix I (Threatened with extinction and CITES prohibits international trade in specimens of these species except when the purpose of the import is not commercial, for instance for scientific research).

=> Wildlife Protection Act, 1972: Schedule I.

Other Conservation Efforts by India:

=> The five rhino range nations (India, Bhutan, Nepal, Indonesia and Malaysia) have signed a declaration ‘The New Delhi Declaration on Asian Rhinos 2019’ for the conservation and protection of the species.

=> The Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has begun a project to create DNA profiles of all rhinos in the country.

=> National Rhino Conservation Strategy: It was launched in 2019 to conserve the greater one-horned rhinoceros.

About the Indian Rhino Vision 2020 (IRV 2020):

=> Launched in 2005.

• IRV 2020 is an initiative led by the Forest Department, Government of Assam, in partnership with WWF India, International Rhino Foundation, and several other organizations.
• The goal of IRV2020 was to increase the rhino population in Assam to 3,000 by establishing populations in new areas.
• Rhinos are now found in four Protected Areas in Assam: Pabitora Wildlife Reserve, Rajiv Gandhi Orang National Park, Kaziranga National Park, and Manas National Park.

By: ASRAF UDDIN AHMED