The Laokhowa and Burhachapori Wildlife Sanctuaries (LBWLS) in Assam, integral to the riverine habitat of the greater one-horned rhinoceros and forming a buffer for Kaziranga Tiger Reserve, have witnessed renewed conservation efforts aimed at reviving their ecological significance.
Historically, these sanctuaries suffered extensive loss of rhino populations due to poaching during the socio-political unrest of the 1980s. While transient rhinos from Kaziranga and Orang National Parks occasionally ventured into the sanctuaries, they rarely stayed for long. Efforts by the Assam government, including the expansion of protected areas in Burhachapori, Orang, and Kaziranga, have facilitated connectivity through Brahmaputra’s riverine corridors, enabling natural rhino dispersal.
Recent improvements in habitat, enhanced protection measures, and community support have contributed to a resurgence of rhino movement into these sanctuaries. Some rhinos have even been observed settling in these habitats. To strengthen these conservation outcomes, park authorities have intensified habitat protection and adopted scientific monitoring practices.
On December 7, the Nagaon Wildlife Division organised a one-day rapid orientation programme for improved rhino monitoring and patrolling. The session, led by Divisional Forest Officer Jayanta Deka, included technical inputs from conservation experts such as Dr Bibhab Kumar Talukdar, Dr Deba Kumar Dutta, and Arup Das from Aaranyak. Knowledge partners from Nagaon Girls’ College, including Dr Kulen Das and Dr Smarajit Ojha, and Dilwar Hussain of the Laokhowa and Burhachapori Conservation Society, also contributed to the event.
The orientation, conducted at three locations within the sanctuaries, engaged around 100 staff members. Practical, site-specific training aimed to enhance field capabilities and motivate frontline staff tasked with rhino monitoring and habitat protection.
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Conservationists anticipate that continued efforts will help Laokhowa and Burhachapori regain their prominence as thriving rhino habitats. Initiatives like this orientation programme reflect collaborative approaches to wildlife conservation and the safeguarding of critical ecosystems.
The people of Nagaon district have expressed hope for the translocation of rhinos under the next phase of the Indian Rhino Vision programme to establish a sustainable population of greater one-horned rhinos in these sanctuaries.
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