During the closing ceremony of the 71st Wildlife Week (2025), Assam’s Environment and Forests Minister felicitated the Mahouts of Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary for their exemplary service in wildlife protection and conflict mitigation.
The award, under the Protection Category, recognised Dipak Deka and his team for effectively preventing rhinos and buffaloes from straying into nearby villages, thereby reducing human–animal conflicts during 2024–25.
Their coordinated fieldwork not only protected local communities but also enhanced eco-tourism revenue through safe elephant safaris.
About Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary
- Location: Situated in Morigaon district, about 48 km east of Guwahati, Assam.
- Area: Covers 38.8 sq. km, with a core area of ~16 sq. km.
- Established: Declared a Wildlife Sanctuary in 1987.
- Landscape: Floodplain ecosystem on the southern bank of the Brahmaputra River, with extensive grasslands and wetlands.
- It is termed as the “Mini Kaziranga” of Assam.
- Pobitora holds the highest density of one-horned rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis) in the world — roughly over 100 rhinos in less than 40 sq. km area.
- Home to Indian wild buffalo, leopard, hog deer, wild boar, Assam macaque, and over 375 bird species, making it an important IBA (Important Bird Area).
Acts as a source population for rhino translocation under the Indian Rhino Vision 2020, which aimed to distribute rhino populations across multiple protected areas in Assam.
Prelims Practice MCQ
Q. Consider the following statements regarding Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary:
- It is located in Assam’s Nagaon district on the banks of the Brahmaputra River.
- It has the world’s highest density of one-horned rhinoceros.
- It has been identified as an Important Bird Area (IBA).
Which of the statements given above are correct?
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
Answer: (b)
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