Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday announced that there was no poaching of rhinoceros in 2022 in the state.

“2022 was a landmark year as no rhino died at the hands of poachers in the state. No rhino was poached in Kaziranga, Manas, Orang (all national parks) or Pobitora (a wildlife sanctuary). Rhino poaching had been declining sharply in the past few years but one or two cases were taking place here and there... I think this (no poaching case) is a positive sign,” Sarma said.

According to official records, there was only one rhino poaching case in 2021, two in 2020 and three in 2019. There were six and seven cases in 2017 and 2018 respectively, a sharp fall compared to 27 cases each in 2013 and 2014.

A senior forest department official attributed the fall in poaching cases to increased surveillance by forest and police personnel, improved intelligence gathering and participation of the local residents, strict enforcement of wildlife crime laws and constant monitoring by the state government.

Another reason was the formation of the anti-poaching task force (APTF) in 2021 to curb poaching in Kaziranga National Park. Protecting rhinos was one of the ruling BJP’s key pre-poll commitments before forming its first government with its allies in 2016. There are around 2,895 one-horned rhinos in Assam, the highest in India, and they are a huge draw for both foreign and domestic tourists.

Rhinos are usually poached for their horns as they have medicinal value. However, the state government carried out a campaign to bust this myth by burning down 2,500 rhino horns in 2021.

According to the report released in September, there were 2,613 rhinos in Kaziranga National Park, 125 in Orang National Park, 107 in Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary and 40 in Manas National Park.