Rhino Memorial in Kaziranga National Park

September 26, 2022

Memorial made of ashes collected from rhino horns were unveiled recently at the Kaziranga National Park in Assam.

Key facts

The memorial having three rhino sculptures was named “Abode of the Unicorns”.
It has one male rhino, a female rhino and a calf.
It also has three statutes of forest guards, created using different materials.
The male rhino is 10.5 feet long and 6 feet tall, the female is 11 feet long and 5.6 feet tall and the calf is 3.5 feet long and 1.5 feet tall.
The rhino statues were created using ashes collected from around 2,500 rhino horns that burnt to flames by the Assam Government.
On the occasion of World Rhino Day (September 22) last year, rhino horns were burnt cinders remotely using drones at the Kaziranga National Park.
They were collected or seized over the past 40 years.
The statues were made using around 128 kg of ash obtained from these burnt horns.
They were created by sculptors Biju Das.
The statues of the forest guards were sculpted by Biren Singha.
It took four months to create these statues.
The memorial was unveiled by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
The estimated cost of this project is Rs.10 to 12 lakh.

About Kaziranga National Park

Kaziranga National Park in Assam hosts the world’s largest population of one-horned rhinos. It is situated at the edge of the Eastern Himalayan biodiversity hotspots – Golaghat and Nagaon districts. It was declared as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the year 1985. According to the latest State of Rhino Report, the national park hosts 2,613 rhinos – the highest in India.

State of Rhino Report

According to the State of Rhino Report 2022, released by the International Rhino Foundation, one-horned rhinos’ population in India, Nepal and Bhutan has increased while the population of rhinos in Africa and Indonesia either fell or saw only a slight rise. The estimated population of one-horned rhinos is 4,014. The population is surging mainly because of efforts of governments of India and Nepal towards expanding the natural habitats and anti-poaching activities.

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