Cachar—Humane Society International India is offering a reward of 1,00,000 INR for information leading to the identification, arrest and conviction of the person named, Habib Hussain, who is absconding from the Cachar Police and Assam Rifles.

The Case: An article published in PNI News dated 21 February, 2017 reported that in a joint effort by the Cachar Police and the Assam Rifles, the team was able to arrest four poachers from Bhoirabpur, Katigorah constituency of Cachar. However, the fifth poacher, identified as Habib Hussain, aged 32, fled the scene with the rhino horn.

The Indian one-horned rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis) is a protected species under the Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, which means hunting them is against the law and a punishable offence. Indian Rhinos are a vulnerable species and the loss of even one rhino is of great consequence. There are approximately 2500 Rhinos in India, majority of them are in Kaziranga National Park in Assam. 74 rhinos were killed by poachers in Assam since 2015.

Sumanth Bindumadhav, wildlife campaign manager for HSI/India, said, “Wildlife trade, especially trade in rhino horns, is unfortunately an increasing trend globally. This is primarily attributed to a lot of myths and superstitions surrounding rhino horns. While some cultures believe them to possess properties of an aphrodisiac qualities; others, believe they have healing powers, which is false and has absolutely no scientific backing. Even though, the rhino population in India is fairly well protected, one does hear instances of rhinos being poached and their horns being traded. In this instance, Assam Rifles and the police have done a great job in apprehending four of the five accused. We appreciate the efforts of the agencies involved in this case and hope to assist them in apprehending the fifth suspect as well, if anyone has any information, please reach out to us.”

HSI/India has been working to mitigate human-wildlife conflict issues in the country through engagement with community, education & awareness and sensitization training of the Forest Department. In the past, HSI/India has been successful in identifying and arresting the culprit of Kerala dog bestiality, New Delhi Green park dog stabbing case, puppies burnt alive in Hyderabad and others.

Media Contact: Vidhi Malla | vmalla@hsi.org | +91 9560103078