Genetic verification of Assam’s rhino horns underway at Kaziranga's Kohora
The verification is being done to transfer the specimens to Wildlife Institute of India for genetic studies
Kaziranga, July 7: The genetic sample verification of rhino horns, which had been stocked in different treasuries of the State government, commenced a couple of days ago at the Mahi Miri Hall of the Forest Convention Centre at Kohora.
The genetic sample verification of rhino horns is being done for transferring the specimens to the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, for genetic studies, including DNA analysis.
A committee has been formed under the State's forest department and a senior forest official has been named as chairman of the committee. The committee has wildlife experts, scientists from the Wildlife Institute of India, forest officials and staff, representatives of NGOs, and four independent observers.
The Assam Tribune's Kaziranga correspondent, Debasish Baruah, is among the independent observers for this event.
The genetic samples, collected from 2,479 rhino horn samples, will be sent to Dehradun for determining the habitat status of rhinos, genetic set-up, DNA strands, and breeding capacity.
It is worth mentioning that on September 22, 2021, a total of 2,479 rhino horns had been burnt at Bokakhat in presence of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. However, before being burnt, samples of those horns had been collected and preserved in different treasuries under the custody of the DFOs concerned for scientific study. Now, a part of those samples have been collected and will be transferred to the Wildlife Institute of India.