Edited By: Bohni Bandyopadhyay
Last Updated: February 09, 2023, 15:04 IST
Leonardo DiCaprio has praised the Assam government’s efforts to end poaching of one-horned rhinoceros.
Leonard DiCaprio shared an Instagram post lauding the ‘government of the Indian state of Assam set out to end the poaching of the Endangered Greater One-Horned Rhinoceros in Kaziranga National Park’.
Hollywood actor Leonardo DiCaprio, in his recent Instagram post, has lauded the Assam government for ending the poaching of the Endangered Greater One-Horned Rhinoceros in Kaziranga National Park. He quoted a Reuters report, which said that no rhinos were poached last year in the world’s largest reserve for the endangered great one-horned rhinoceros for the first time since 1977, according to authorities.
Poachers killed more than 190 rhinos in Assam between 2000 and 2021 but none was killed last year, according to data shared by Assam Police with Reuters. The last time there was no poaching was in 1977.
In his Instagram post, DiCaprio said, “In 2021, the government of the Indian state of Assam set out to end the poaching of the Endangered Greater One-Horned Rhinoceros in Kaziranga National Park following the killing of around 190 animals for their horns between 2000 and 2021. In 2022, they met their goal and no rhinos were poached in the area for the first time since 1977.”
“Kaziranga National Park is home to 2,200 Greater One-horned Rhinos, which is about two-thirds of the world’s population. This triumph in India also comes with more good news, as @wwf also reports that the world population of the rare rhino soared to around 3,700 from about 200 at the turn of the 20th century. @reuters has more on this story at the link in bio,” he added.
A record 27 rhinos were killed in Assam each year in 2013 and 2014, the data showed, as poachers sought to sell their horns for thousands of dollars in East Asia where they are prized as medicine and jewellery, according to the Reuters report.
