A newborn one-horned rhinoceros stands next to its mother Baghekhati in a zoo in Guwahati, in the eastern Indian state of Assam in this June 5, 2002 file photo. Assam is home to the largest species of one-horned rhinoceros, an endangered species found only in some pocket areas of India, Nepal and Bhutan. Photo taken June 5, 2002. REUTERS/Utpal Baruah/Files (INDIA)
Morigaon (Assam) [India], March 23 (ANI): There has been an increase of five one-horned rhinoceros in the Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary in Assam’s Morigaon district, taking the total count to 107, stated the DFO on Wednesday.
Jayshree Naiding, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of Guwahati Wildlife Division said, “a total of 107 rhinoceros were counted, which is an increase of five rhinos over the last count of 102 conducted in 2018.” The rhino counts at Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary stands at 107 comprising 30 males, 50 females, and 27 calves.
The two-day rhino population census was concluded at the wildlife sanctuary on Wednesday. “With a notified area of 38.81 sq km, Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary harbors the highest density of rhino population. Since 2014, there is no instance of poaching at Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary,” Naiding said.
The DFO of Guwahati Wildlife Division further said that the entire wildlife sanctuary was divided into nine blocks for counting the rhinos, wherein 11 enumerators and nine observers from different organizations were deployed over two days and the assessment was carried out using the block count method.
Earlier, Assam’s Orang National Park and Tiger Reserve has counted 125 rhinos in the recently concluded rhino census. (ANI)
