DNA database coming up for Indian rhino

Why in news?
  • The Union Environment Ministry has embarked on a project to create DNA profiles of all rhinos in the country.
More in news
  • DNA database:
    (1) World Wildlife Fund for Nature-India (WWF-India) and the Centre-funded Wildlife Institute of India (WII) will be the project’s proponents.
    (2) The project is a subset of the Centre’s larger, ongoing rhino conservation program.
    (3) Once the database is complete, identifying rhinos that were killed or poached would be easier.
    (4) By 2021, the Indian rhino could be the first wild animal species in India to have all its members DNA-sequenced.
    (5) Around 60 samples of tissue have been collected so far from some rhinos living outside Kaziranga.
    (6) Outside Kaziranga, there are about 200 rhinos in West Bengal, 40 in Uttar Pradesh and 1 in Bihar.
    (7) There are about 2,600 rhinos in India, with more than 90% of the population concentrated in Assam’s Kaziranga National Park.
    (8) IUCN status: Vulnerable.
Source
The hindu




Posted by Jawwad Kazi on 15th May 2019
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