In this photo dated March 18, 2018, a one-horned rhinoceros walks inside the Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary in Assam state, India. (ANUPAM NATH / AP)
NEW DELHI – For the first time in the past 45 years, no rhinos were poached in India's northeastern state of Assam in 2022, officials said Tuesday.
According to Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, no rhino was poached in the state last year.
"Not a single rhino being poached in 2022 and just two in 2021, the gentle giant is now much safer in Assam," Sarma wrote on social media.
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Not a single rhino being poached in 2022 and just two in 2021, the gentle giant is now much safer in Assam.
Himanta Biswa Sarma, Chief Minister of India's northeastern state of Assam
According to official figures, 191 rhinos were poached in Assam between 2000 and 2021.
During this period, the highest number of rhino deaths was 27 each reported in 2013 and 2014.
Rhinos are often poached for their horns, which are rumored to have medicinal properties and regarded as a status symbol.
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India's Assam is known for its one-horned rhino, attracting a large number of tourists every year.