Rhino poaching in Assam is the illegal act of slaughtering rhinoceros in the region of Assam, India. Poaching of rhinos is one of the major environmental issues in India which continues in the region of Kaziranga National Park, Manas National Park, and some other grasslands of Assam. Indian rhinos inhabited most of the floodplain of the Indogangetic and Brahmaputra riverine tracts and the neighboring foothills.
Sport hunting became common in the late 1800s and early 1900s. [1] Indian rhinos were hunted relentlessly and persistently. Reports from the middle of the 19th century claim that some military officers in Assam individually shot more than 200 rhinos. By 1908, the population in Kaziranga had decreased to around 12 individuals. [2] In the early 1900s, the species had declined to near extinction. [1]
Poaching for rhinoceros horn became the single most important reason for the decline of the Indian rhino after conservation measures were put in place from the beginning of the 20th century, when legal hunting ended. From 1980 to 1993, 692 rhinos were poached in India. In India's Laokhowa Wildlife Sanctuary 41 rhinos were killed in 1983, virtually the entire population of the sanctuary. [3] By the mid-1990s, poaching had rendered the species extinct there. [4]
Five methods of killing rhinos have been recorded: [3]
Illegal rhino horn trade has been the main problem facing managers of the rhino-protected areas of Assam. According to research by Traffic (conservation programme) and World Wide Fund for Nature, some Vietnamese buyers believe horn to be a cure for cancer when ground to a fine powder. According to a survey conducted by World Wide Fund for Nature in South Africa, it is kept by wealthy people in Vietnam as a "peace of mind" cure.
In 1993, rhino horn was removed from the official lists of Traditional Chinese Medicine. It is now only sold in Vietnam following an unsubstantiated rumour that horn cured a high-ranking official in Vietnam of cancer. [5] [6]
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The following table shows the numbers of poached rhino in Assam since 1962: [7]
| Year | Kaziranga | Manas | Orang | Pobitora | Laokhowa | Other areas in Assam | Year-wise Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | 1 |
| 1963 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | 1 |
| 1964 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | 0 |
| 1965 | 18 | 1 | - | - | - | - | 19 |
| 1966 | 6 | 0 | - | - | - | - | 6 |
| 1967 | 12 | 0 | - | - | - | - | 12 |
| 1968 | 9 | 0 | - | - | - | - | 9 |
| 1969 | 8 | 0 | - | - | - | - | 8 |
| 1970 | 2 | 0 | - | - | - | - | 2 |
| 1971 | 8 | 1 | - | - | - | - | 9 |
| 1972 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | 0 |
| 1973 | 3 | 0 | - | - | - | - | 3 |
| 1974 | 3 | 0 | - | - | - | - | 3 |
| 1975 | 5 | 0 | - | - | - | - | 5 |
| 1976 | 1 | 4 | - | - | - | - | 5 |
| 1977 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | 0 |
| 1978 | 5 | 1 | - | - | - | - | 6 |
| 1979 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 15 |
| 1980 | 11 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 18 |
| 1981 | 24 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 4 | 38 |
| 1982 | 25 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 8 | 44 |
| 1983 | 37 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 41 [3] | 7 | 92 |
| 1984 | 28 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 45 |
| 1985 | 44 | 1 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 56 |
| 1986 | 45 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 52 |
| 1987 | 23 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 43 |
| 1988 | 24 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 9 | 44 |
| 1989 | 44 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 64 |
| 1990 | 35 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 45 |
| 1991 | 23 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 29 |
| 1992 | 49 | 11 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 67 |
| 1993 | 40 | 22 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 68 |
| 1994 | ? | ? | ? | 4 | ? | ? | 14 |
| 1995 | ? | ? | ? | 2 | ? | ? | 27 |
| 1996 | ? | ? | ? | 5 | ? | ? | 26 |
| 1997 | ? | ? | ? | 3 | ? | ? | 12 |
| 1998 | 8 | ? | ? | 4 | ? | ? | 12 |
| 1999 | 4 | ? | ? | 6 | ? | ? | 10 |
| 2000 | 14 | ? | ? | 2 | ? | ? | 15 |
| 2001 | 9 | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | 10 |
| 2002 | 5 | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | 6 |
| 2003 | 6 | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | 8 |
| 2004 | 5 | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | 5 |
| 2005 | 12 | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | 15 |
| 2006 | 6 | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | 9 |
| 2007 | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | 20 |
| 2008 | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | 16 |
| 2009 | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | 14 |
| 2010 | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | 18 |
| 2011 | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | 8 |
| 2012 | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | 26 |
| 2013 | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | 28 |
| 2014 | 35 | 3 | ? | ? | ? | ? | 38 |
| 2015 | 3 | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | 3 |
| 2016 | 19 | 1 | ? | ? | ? | ? | 20 |
The forest department of Assam took a proposal of dehorning rhinoceres to save it from poachers in February 2014. [8] The Government of Assam also called for public opinion by a committee headed by the Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (Wildlife) could take a decision. Many environmentalists and NGO's opposed the proposal. [9] The proposal was unsuccessful.
Poaching is the illegal hunting or capturing of wild animals, usually associated with land use rights. Poaching was once performed by impoverished peasants for subsistence purposes and to supplement meager diets. It was set against the hunting privileges of nobility and territorial rulers.
The Javan rhinoceros, Javan rhino, Sunda rhinoceros or lesser one-horned rhinoceros is a critically endangered member of the genus Rhinoceros, of the rhinoceros family, Rhinocerotidae, and one of the five remaining extant rhinoceros species across South Asia and Africa. The Javan rhinoceros is one of the smallest rhinoceros species, along with the Sumatran, or "hairy", rhinoceros. They are superficially similar to Indian one-horned rhinos, as they have plate-like, "armored" protective skin folds, but are slightly smaller in size, at just 3.1–3.2 m (10–10 ft) long and 1.4–1.7 m (4.6–5.6 ft) tall, on average. The heaviest specimens weigh around 2,300 kg/2.3 tonnes, similar to an African black rhinoceros. However, unlike the long and potentially lethal horns of the black or white rhinoceroses of Africa, the Javan species' single, somewhat blunted horn is usually shorter than 25 cm (9.8 in).
Kaziranga National Park is a national park in the Golaghat and Nagaon districts of the state of Assam, India. The park, which hosts two-thirds of the world's Indian rhinoceroses, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. According to the census held in March 2018 which was jointly conducted by the Forest Department of the Government of Assam and some recognized wildlife NGOs, the rhino population in Kaziranga National Park is 2,613. It comprises 1,641 adult rhinos ; 387 sub-adults ; and 385 calves.
A rhinoceros, commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant species of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae; it can also refer to a member of any of the extinct species of the superfamily Rhinocerotoidea. Two of the extant species are native to Africa, and three to South and Southeast Asia.
The Indian rhinoceros, also known as the greater one-horned rhinoceros, great Indian rhinoceros, or Indian rhino for short, is a rhinoceros species native to the Indian subcontinent. It is the second largest extant species of rhinoceros, with adult males weighing 2.2 tonnes and adult females 1.6 tonnes. The skin is thick and is grey-brown in colour with pinkish skin folds. They have a single horn on their snout that grows to a maximum of 57.2 cm (22.5 in). Their upper legs and shoulders are covered in wart-like bumps. They are nearly hairless, aside from the eyelashes, ear fringes and tail brush.
The white rhinoceros, white rhino or square-lipped rhinoceros is the largest extant species of rhinoceros. It has a wide mouth used for grazing and is the most social of all rhino species. The white rhinoceros consists of two subspecies: the southern white rhinoceros, with an estimated 16,803 wild-living animals, and the much rarer northern white rhinoceros. The northern subspecies has very few remaining individuals, with only two confirmed left in 2018, both in captivity. Sudan, the world's last known male Northern white rhinoceros, died in Kenya on 19 March 2018 at age 45.
Orang National Park is a national park in India located on the northern bank of the Brahmaputra River in the Darrang and Sonitpur districts of Assam. It covers an area of 79.28 km2 (30.61 sq mi). It was established as a sanctuary in 1985 and declared a national park on 13 April 1999. It is rich in flora and fauna, including great Indian rhinoceros, pygmy hog, Asian elephant, wild water buffalo and the Bengal tiger. It is the only stronghold of the rhinoceros on the north bank of the Brahmaputra.
The western black rhinoceros or West African black rhinoceros is an extinct subspecies of the black rhinoceros. It was declared extinct by the IUCN in 2011. The western black rhinoceros was believed to have been genetically different from other rhino subspecies. It was once widespread in the savanna of sub-Saharan Africa, but its numbers declined due to poaching. The western black rhinoceros resided primarily in Cameroon, but surveys since 2006 have failed to locate any individuals.
The biodiversity of Assam, a state in North-East India, makes it a biological hotspot with many rare and endemic plant and animal species. The greatest success in recent years has been the conservation of the Indian rhinoceros at the Kaziranga National Park, but a rapid increase in human population in Assam threatens many plants and animals and their natural habitats.
The history of Kaziranga National Park in the Golaghat and Nagaon districts of the state of Assam, India, can be traced back to the beginning of the twentieth century, in 1904. It now is a World Heritage Site and hosts two-thirds of the world's Great One-horned Rhinoceroses, tigers, and many other endangered animals.
Kaziranga National Park in India has a good conservation history, especially due to its efficient management policies. In spite of the efficient conservation policies there are some loopholes in the conservation policies.
Kaziranga National Park is an Indian national park and an UNESCO World Heritage Site situated in the Golaghat and Nagaon district of Assam, India. It is a tourist destination and conservation area particularly notable as a refuge for the endangered Indian one-horned rhinoceros, hosting the largest population of wild Indian one-horned Rhinoceros in the world. The park contains significant stock of three other large herbivores — the Asian Elephant, the Asiatic Water Buffalo and the eastern subspecies of the Swamp Deer. Kaziranga also has the highest density of tiger in the world and is declared a Tiger Reserve in 2006. Kaziranga is recognized as an Important Bird Area by Birdlife International for conservation of avifaunal species.
Kaziranga National Park is an Indian national park and an UNESCO World Heritage Site situated in the Golaghat and Nagaon district of Assam, India. It is a tourist destination and conservation area particularly notable as a refuge for the endangered Indian one-horned rhinoceros, hosting the largest population of wild Indian one-horned Rhinoceros in the world. The park contains significant stock of three other large herbivores — the Asian Elephant, the Asiatic Water Buffalo and the eastern subspecies of the Swamp Deer. Kaziranga also has the highest density of tiger in the world and is declared a Tiger Reserve in 2006. Kaziranga is recognized as an Important Bird Area by Birdlife International for conservation of avifaunal species.
The International Rhino Foundation (IRF) is a Texas-based charity focused on the conservation of the five species of rhinoceros which include the White Rhinoceros and Black Rhinoceros of Africa, and the Indian Rhinoceros, Javan Rhinoceros and Sumatran Rhinoceros of Asia.
Laokhowa Wildlife Sanctuary is a wildlife sanctuary located in the state of Assam in India covering 70.13 km2 (27.08 sq mi) on the south bank of the Brahmaputra River in Nagaon district.
The Bornean rhinoceros, also known as the eastern Sumatran rhinoceros or eastern hairy rhinoceros, is one of three subspecies of Sumatran rhinoceros. The subspecies was feared to be functionally extinct, with only one individual, a female named Pahu, surviving in captivity, and held in the state of Sabah. In April 2015, the Malaysian government declared the Bornean rhinoceros to be extinct in the wild in the Malaysian portion of Borneo. However, in March 2016, a young female rhino was captured in East Kalimantan, providing evidence of their continued existence. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classifies the subspecies as critically endangered.
The Vietnamese Javan rhinoceros, also known as the Indo-Chinese Javan rhinoceros, is an extinct subspecies of the Javan rhinoceros that formerly lived in Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, and Vietnam. The subspecific term annamiticus derives from the Annamite name of the Indochinese Mountains in Indochina, part of the historical distribution of the subspecies.
Rhinoceros poaching in southern Africa is the illegal act of slaughtering rhinoceros in the southern African countries of Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and South Africa, where most of Africa's rhinos live. The most common reason for rhino poaching is to meet the high demand for their horns in Asian countries, where the horn is predominantly used in Traditional Chinese Medicine but is increasingly being used as a symbol of wealth and prosperity. In previous generations, the most common rhino poaching activity was hunting for recreational purposes. Because of excessive poaching, rhino populations have decline rapidly since the 1970s, leaving some species critically endangered and facing extinction.
Bibhab Kumar Talukdar is an Indian conservation biologist. He is the founder of Aaranyak, a leading wildlife non-governmental organization based in Guwahati, India. It is a Scientific, Industrial Research and frontline environmental organization in India.
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