Prince William, Kate to Visit Kaziranga; Dispel Rhino Myths

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will visit India and Bhutan from April 10-16.

Prince William and Kate Duchess of Cambridge. (Photo: AP)

Apart from the Taj Mahal, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on their visit to India and Bhutan will also be visiting Kaziranga National Park in Assam, reports The Telegraph. The visit that is scheduled on April 13 around the Assamese New Year, will encompass a trip to the Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation and an elephant clinic.

Prince William and Kate Middleton will use this opportunity to dispel any notion of rhino horn being helpful medically.

A one-horned rhinoceros at the Kaziranga National Park, about 92 kms from Nagaon in Assam. (Photo: PTI)

First of all, we don’t think that rhino horn has any medicinal property, so the question of greater one-horned rhino horn having more potency over the African one doesn’t arise. It would be great if other prominent figures also speak up against rhino-horn trade, and stop the onslaught on rhinos in Assam and in other states.

<b>Dipankar Ghose, Director, Species and Landscapes Programme, WWF-India</b>

The year 2016 has been a brutal year for India’s famed rhinos in Assam. A little over three months into the year, five rhinos have already been killed by poachers. Poachers killed at least 1,305 rhinos in Africa in 2015, the highest number in decades, according to reports released in January. Read the full report here.