Guwahati: Assam’s Unesco Heritage Site, Manas National Park and Tiger Reserve, once ravaged by poaching and insurgency-linked wildlife losses, has recorded zero cases of rhino and tiger poaching for three consecutive years, chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Tuesday.Calling it a significant conservation achievement, Sarma said the feat reflected the state’s sustained efforts to protect wildlife and strengthen anti-poaching measures.“Zero Rhino and Tiger Poaching in Manas National Park for 3 straight years,” Sarma posted on X. “From an era when poaching dominated news headlines to now when zero poaching is the new normal, this feat signifies the relentless efforts Assam has undertaken to preserve our faunal diversity.”The achievement marks a remarkable turnaround for the park, which witnessed severe wildlife losses during the ethnic unrest and militancy-hit years of the 1990s and early 2000s. During that period, Manas lost its entire rhino population, prompting conservation authorities to launch an ambitious rhino reintroduction programme under Indian Rhino Vision 2020. The programme facilitated translocation of rhinos from Kaziranga and Pobitora to Manas beginning in 2008.Spread across the foothills of the eastern Himalayas in Baksa, Chirang, Kokrajhar and Udalguri districts, Manas is one of India’s most biodiverse protected landscapes.
