GUWAHATI, April 7 – The proposal of the State Forest Department to dehorn the translocated and stray rhinos has been met with opposition even from the people of the State-origin living in foreign countries.
Over 15000 people under the banner of the Bhaxa Xahityo Xonmiloni, Axom, a non-profit organisation of Assamese people from all across the globe and its Facebook group Axomiyat Kotha-Botora have started an online campaign for collecting comments and signatures on the proposal of dehorning rhinos in Assam.
More than 1500 people from across the globe have signed the petition opposing the move by the Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (PCCF), Assam, said the Xonmiloni in a letter to the PCCF.
The Xonmiloni said in its letter to the PCCF that there are numerous cases where dehorning has proved insufficient to prevent rhinos from falling victim to poachers. For example, in Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe during the early 1990s, the majority of dehorned rhinos were killed just 12-18 months after being dehorned.
In Zimbabwe's Save Valley Conservancy, six newly dehorned rhinos were poached during January-August 2011 (one rhino was killed within 24 hours and another within five days of being dehorned).
Horns grow back over time, with recent studies claiming that the re-growth of dehorned rhino horn appears faster than growth in non-dehorned rhinos. With the current severe poaching threat, experts recommend that rhinos should ideally be dehorned every 12-24 months.
Dehorning is an intrusive procedure and, like any immobilisation, there is a risk to the rhino during the operation. While all efforts are taken to reduce the risk, there are sometimes veterinary complications while the animal is under anaesthesia that may result in death. The more frequently the rhinos are immobilised, the greater the risk, said the Xonmiloni.
“We believe that trimming the horns of rhinoceros cannot stop illegal poaching of rhinoceros. Another contentious issue is whether dehorning actually deters poachers. Joel Berger, in a 1993 paper published in Conservation Biology, suggested that poachers do not discriminate among rhinos based on the size of their horns, meaning even rhinos with stumps could be targeted…,” the Xonmiloni said in its letter to the PCCF.
