Assam Sends Rhino Horns to Wildlife Institute of India for DNA Testing

Rhino horns preserved by the Assam government have now been sent to the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) in Dehradun for genetic testing. This marks an important step in studying and preserving the legacy of Assam’s one-horned rhinos.

Back in September 2021, the Assam government had made headlines by burning 2,479 rhino horns in a symbolic move against poaching and illegal wildlife trade. These horns were part of a stockpile of 2,623 horns kept under the forest department’s supervision. A few horns were not destroyed as they were linked to court cases or considered to have special historical or scientific value.

Before the burning, small portions from each horn were carefully preserved and stored in secure vaults across the state. These preserved pieces are now being used for scientific study.

From July 3 to 8 this year, the first phase of a detailed examination process was carried out at Kaziranga National Park. During this phase, samples from 2,573 preserved horns were separated and sent to WII, Dehradun. The entire process was conducted under tight security and supervised by a special team consisting of senior forest officials, scientists, Kaziranga staff, and independent observers.

According to Kaziranga Field Director Sonali Ghosh, some of the horns date back to the 1970s and 1980s. The DNA testing will not only help trace the origin of each horn and identify any links to poaching cases, but also open up new ways to study the genetic history of Assam’s rhino population.

This is the first time such a large number of rhino horn samples from Assam are being studied in detail, and the findings are expected to help both conservation and wildlife crime investigation in the future.

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