Kevin Pietersen applauds PM Modi as Rhino poaching in Assam drops to lowest under BJP rule

England’s cricketing legend Kevin Pietersen has applauded the PM Narendra Modi-led Central government as it recorded the lowest number of one-horned rhino poaching in Assam last year. Taking to Twitter, the 41-year-old hailed PM Modi and paid his respects to those involved in the job of protecting these animals. "Bravo, @narendramodi and bravo to all the men and women who sacrifice their lives in protecting the animals in India too. I’ve met lots of them and I respect you immensely!," Pietersen wrote in his tweet.

Pietersen's praises came in reply to a tweet from Organiser Weekly, which informed that only one rhino was killed in Kaziranga National Park by poachers in 2021, making it the lowest number in the last 21 years. Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma had also acknowledged the achievement and commended the forest guards and Kaziranga officials.

"It's commendable that in 2021, no. of rhinos lost to poaching was lowest in 21 yrs. A huge milestone in our efforts to eliminate the menace of poaching from our state," CM Sarma wrote on Twitter. "Kudos to our Forest Guards & officials of @kaziranga_  for their sincere efforts to protect Assam’s beloved icon," he added.

Rhino poaching at a 21-year low

According to the Organiser Weekly, the one-horned rhinos were at the risk of exposure to poaching during the Congress government's rule from 2001 to 2016. As many as 54 cases of poaching were reported in 2013-14 alone whereas a total of 167 rhinos were poached during the 16-year-long Congress regime in the state. The cases of poaching have, however, seen a downward trend from 2016 as the subsequent years reported the cases in single digits.

In 2017, the number of cases dropped to six, followed by seven in 2018 and three, two, and one in the following respective years till 2021, according to the graphic shared by CM Sarma. 

Image: AP, PTI