GUWAHATI, Feb 6 - Governor Banwarilal Purohit flagged off a marathon �Save the Rhino, Run for the Pride�, organised by Byatikram Mass Awareness Social Development Organisation (Byatikram MASDO) at the Raj Bhavan today.
Hailing the initiative, Purohit said, �Rhino is not simply an animal, it is Assam�s identity,� and asked everybody to work towards developing a society deterrent against cruelty on rhino. Assam has occupied an important position in the world map as a hotbed for the one-horned rhinoceros. �Inflicting pain on the rhino amounts to inflicting pain on the people of Assam,� Purohit maintained.
Adding that mere greed prompted the antisocial elements to kill rhinos, Purohit urged everybody to be alert and fight against the menace of rhino poaching. He also asserted that no leniency should be shown to the poachers as he advocated strictest punitive measures to deal with rhino poaching.
Purohit also said that massive awareness should be generated at all levels to build a society friendly to the pride of Assam. He reiterated the need to spread the message of rhino protection to every nook and corner of the State.
It may be noted that to create mass awareness against rhino poaching and to save the pride of Assam from extinction, Byatikram MASDO, along with DTDC, has taken the initiative to organise the marathon, which would move around Guwahati on February 8 with a tableau of the rhino.