Guwahati: A zoo in the US will open Assam Rhino Reserve next month to put the spotlight on wildlife trafficking around the world.
The reserve at Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle will house Taj and Glenn, two US-born one-horned rhinos. Taj, a male rhino, has already arrived safely from San Diego Zoo Safari Park while Glenn, another male, will join Taj soon. Glenn was born at The Wilds, a 10,000-acre conservation centre and safari park in Cumberland, Ohio, which is operated by the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium. Both the rhinos will be 18 months old when the reserve opens on May 5.
"We are opening Assam Rhino Reserve to put the spotlight on wildlife trafficking around the world and in Pacific Northwest, our region. We also want to honour the amazing work our partner, International Rhino Foundation, is doing on behalf of the greater one-horned rhinos in that region with its Indian Rhino Vision 2020," Gigi Allianic, senior manager, public relations and communications, Woodland Park Zoo, told The Telegraph.
Indian Rhino Vision 2020 was launched in 2005 to increase the rhino population in Assam from 2,001 then to 3,000 by 2020. The IRV efforts involve wild-to-wild translocation of rhinos from Kaziranga National Park and Pobitora wildlife sanctuary to Manas National Park and Dibru-Saikhowa National Park as well as Laokhowa and Burachapori wildlife sanctuaries.
"Rhinos are iconic symbols of the wildlife trafficking crisis. According to the International Rhino Foundation, the population has recovered today to an estimated 3,600, thanks to conservation efforts and strict protection from Indian and Nepalese wildlife authorities and collaborative efforts of NGOs. The species lives in northeastern India and southern Nepal. While it is a successful conservation story, the pressures of poaching remain high," Allianic said.
The reserve will also house brown tortoises, Allianic said, in recognition of the work their partner, Turtle Survival Alliance, is doing to conserve imperilled turtle species in Assam and other parts of India.
