Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday extended an invitation for the Hollywood actor to visit Kaziranga National Park, famous for its one-horned rhinos after Leonardo DiCaprio praised the Assam state government for its efforts to discourage the poaching of the pachyderm.
DiCaprio said in an Instagram post that the Assam government’s efforts, which began in 2021, were successful the next year because no rhinos were poached in Kaziranga National Park.
“Preserving wildlife is integral to our cultural identity. We are dedicated to persevering and safeguarding our rich cultural heritage. Thank you for your kind words, @LeoDiCaprio , and I extend a warm invitation to you to visit @kaziranga_and Assam,” Sarma said in a Tweet.
Moreover, he posted a screenshot of DiCaprio’s Instagram post applauding the work of the administration.
The Oscar-winning actor claimed that after 190 pachyderms were killed between 2000 and 2021 for their horns, the Assam government decided in 2021 to put an end to poaching of the bigger one-horned rhinoceros in Kaziranga National Park.
In addition, DiCaprio noted that KNP is home to 2,200 rhinos, or roughly one-third of the rhino population worldwide. Citing a World Wildlife Fund report, he continued that the population of the endangered rhino has increased dramatically since the turn of the 20th century, rising from 200 to roughly 3,700.