Assam to raise Special Rhino Protection Force for rhino protection

The Assam government is going to raise a new Special Rhino Protection Force (SRPF) for better protection of the one-horned rhinos in Assam.
State government has already started the process of recruitment for the proposed force. The cadre for the force will selected from local youths hailing from the fringe areas of the Kaziranga national park.
After initial selection, recruits will be given necessary training. They will be also provided with arms and ammunition for better protection of the one horned rhinos.

About one-horned rhinos

The greater one-horned rhinoceros is the largest of the Asian Rhinos. Its preferred habitat is alluvial flood plains and areas containing tall grasslands along the foothills of the Himalayas. Formerly, they were extensively distributed in the Gangetic plains, but today they are restricted to small habitats in Indo-Nepal terai and North Bengal, and Assam.
They are found in Kaziranga, Orang, Pobitara, Jaldapara (in Assam), Dudhwa (UP) National Park. Kaziranga National Park hosts two-thirds of the world’s Great One-horned rhinoceros (68% of worldwide population). It has been listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

Indian Rhino Vision (IRV) 2020

It is a partnership the Assam Forest Department, World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), Bodoland Territorial Council, International Rhino Foundation (IRF) and US Fish and Wildlife Service. Its goal is to attain a wild rhino population of at least 3,000 in the Indian state of Assam by the year 2020.

Month: Current Affairs - July, 2017