MP’s Rhino Dream Hits Roadblock As Assam Declines Transfer, State Eyes Other Zoos

The efforts of Madhya Pradesh state government to acquire a rhino from Assam have hit a roadblock. Assam has declined to transfer the rhino from its zoo, citing pressing reasons. Following this setback, Madhya Pradesh is now considering alternatives by targeting zoos in other states to fulfill its dream of acquiring a rhino. In October of the previous year, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav visited Assam and engaged in talks with Assam's Chief Minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma, with the aim of securing a rhino, wild buffaloes, and a king cobra from Assam.

The two states had previously signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) regarding these animal transfers. Following the signing of the MoU, Van Vihar National Park in Madhya Pradesh was the first to propose acquiring a rhino. According to Van Vihar director Vijay Kumar, Assam has refused to provide the rhino as it is not in a position to do so.

However, Van Vihar is now exploring other options and is considering acquiring a rhino from zoos in Patna (Bihar) and West Bengal. A senior forest department official confirmed that Assam did not possess a rhino suitable for transfer under the zoo-to-zoo program, as the rhinos raised in the wild in Assam cannot be relocated to Madhya Pradesh without trained personnel equipped to handle them in forested environments.

While Assam did agree to provide 50 wild buffaloes as part of the MoU, this agreement was reached before the rhino transfer talks. Previously, Assam had provided two batches of wild buffaloes to Madhya Pradesh. Additionally, Van Vihar had made a proposal to acquire a king cobra from Karnataka, but this proposal was never executed.