On Friday, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma extended an invitation to Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio to visit Kaziranga National Park, famed for its one-horned rhinos, after the actor lauded the state government's measures to curb poaching of the vulnerable species.
Caprio, in an Instagram post, wrote that the efforts of the Assam government had started in 2021 met success the next year when no rhinos were poached in Kaziranga National Park.
“Preserving wildlife is integral to our cultural identity. We are dedicated to persevering and safeguarding our rich cultural heritage. Thank you for your kind words, @LeoDiCaprio , and I extend a warm invitation to you to visit @kaziranga_and Assam,” Sarma said in a Tweet while sharing a screenshot of the Instagram post by DiCaprio praising the government’s efforts.
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DiCaprio also mentioned that KNP is home to 2,200 rhinos, which is about one-third of the world’s rhino population, and, citing a World Wildlife Fund report, added that the global population of the rare rhino has soared to around 3,700 from about 200 at the turn of the 20th century.
The Academy-award-winning actor wrote that the Assam government in 2021 had set out to end poaching of the greater one-horned rhinoceros in Kaziranga National Park following the killing of around 190 pachyderms for their horns between 2000 and 2021.
“In 2022, they met their goal and no rhinos were poached in the area for the first time since 1977,” the 'Titanic' fame star said.
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(With PTI inputs)
