Manas National Park

  A warm and friendly relationship exists between India and Bhutan based on shared cultural, geographical, and economic ties. Through various cooperative initiatives, this bond has grown stronger over time. India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been focusing on deepening ties with Bhutan in recent years, making his first foreign trip as prime minister to Bhutan in 2014. Over the years, numerous collaborative efforts have further strengthened the relationship between the two nations, encompassing hydropower, education, technology, sports, and security. Bhutan's King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck visited New Delhi last year and engaged in discussions with Prime Minister Modi on advancing economic and strategic partnerships between the two countries. Bhutan remains India's steadfast partner in South Asia, supporting Bhutan's 13th Five-Year Plan (2024-29) and India’s support for RGoB’s Economic Stimulus Programme. Initiatives like the Gelephu Mindfulness City Special ...

    Zero Rhino Poaching Milestone There was a time when the floodplains of the Brahmaputra River resembled a battlefield rather than a sanctuary. From the turbulent 1980s until as recently as 2021, the towering elephant grass of Assam’s protected landscapes concealed a deadly duel between survival and greed. Within those whispering wetlands moved not only the magnificent Greater One-Horned Rhinoceros or Indian rhinoceros ( Rhinoceros unicronis ) but also armed poachers pit diggers, electrocution gangs, and poisoners relentlessly pursuing horn and body parts for international black markets. The sharp crack of gunfire often tore through the stillness of dawn; carcasses lay as brutal testimony to a conservation emergency that threatened to erase decades of painstaking recovery. Images of a hornless mother rhino, her calf bewildered and vulnerable beside her, seared the public conscience and symbolized the depth of the crisis. And yet, history has turned a remarkable page. Assam...

  The Greater One-Horned Rhinoceros (GOH), a majestic megaherbivore also known as the Indian Rhinoceros ( Rhinoceros unicornis Linnaeus, 1758), stands at a critical juncture in its conservation journey. As of June 2022, the global wild population of GOH is 4023, with a significant 81.3% (3271) finding refuge in the national parks and wildlife sanctuaries of India. In West Bengal, which holds the second-largest population of GOH in India and contributes 9% to the global population. These population are concentrated in two key North Bengal National Parks: Jaldapara National Park  and Garumora National Park. The historical record of the rhinoceros’ population in this region represents a complex narrative. Initially, traditional conservation efforts led to a significant resurgence in the rhino population. However, despite the positive shift from a minimal population to a handful of rhinos in two protected areas, the rhino population may attain stagnation due to factors such a...