Assam to destroy rhino horns stored over four decades

Assam government has started the process to verify around 2,500 rhino horns seized from poachers, smugglers or extracted from dead animals over the last four decades. The seized items had been kept in government treasuries in some of the Assam districts for all these years.

Guwahati: Assam government has started the process to verify around 2,500 rhino horns seized from poachers, smugglers or extracted from dead animals over the last four decades. The seized items had been kept in government treasuries in some of the Assam districts for all these years. The move started after the Environment and Forest department of the Assam government is mulling to dispose off the damaged rhino horns on the National Elephant Appreciation Day on September 22 this year.

Assam's Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (Wildlife), Amit Sahai said that the verification of rhino horns stored in Kamrup, Barpeta, and Morigaon districts have been completed while it is underway in Sonitpur, Nagaon, Golaghat and other treasuries. "Out of the 261 horns verified so far, 241 have been marked for destruction and 18 for preservation," he said.

Amit Sahai said various stakeholders, including media persons and NGOs, are involved in the ongoing verification of rhino horns, elephant tusks (ivory) and body parts of other protected animals stored in the district treasuries to ensure transparency in the whole exercise.

The entire operation is being screened live. The exercise is being conducted by seven zonal committees and a technical panel constituted by the Chief Wildlife Warden. "The destruction of the horns and other animal articles will be carried out in conformity with a relevant section of the Wildlife (Protection) Act of 1972," he said. "Barring the rhino horns linked to court cases and some good samples of horns for showcasing in museums and for scientific and academic purposes, the rest of the horns will be destroyed," he said adding that rhino horns are not meant for display or for use in any other way by any individual.

Meanwhile, Chief Wildlife Warden MK Yadava said the Forest department will take a final decision on destroying the horns after a public hearing on August 29 and based on recommendations of a state-level committee constituted last month for the purpose. "About 5 per cent of the specimens would be preserved for education, awareness and scientific purposes," Yadava added.

Earlier the state government had constituted a panel, "Rhino Horn Verification Committee" in 2016, following allegations that fake horns were being used to replace the real ones in the treasuries. In the last such statewide inspection of rhino horns conducted in 2016, a total of 2,020 horns were found in 12 treasuries of the state.