Guwahati, July 10: The Assam Forest Department has begun DNA profiling of 2,573 rhino horn samples stored after the 2021 mass incineration. The effort, conducted from July 3 to 8, 2025, at Kaziranga, marks a major step in wildlife forensics and rhino population management in India.
In September 2021, Assam made global headlines by destroying 2,479 rhino horns—part of a reconciled stockpile of 2,623 horns—to bust the centuries-old myth about the medicinal or commercial value of rhino horn. Only horns with court implications or scientific uniqueness were preserved. From each retained horn, a small sample was stored for future genetic and chemical analysis.
Now, under the supervision of the Chief Wildlife Warden of Assam, a specially notified team has undertaken the verification, segregation, and packaging of these preserved horn samples, in the presence of independent observers and media personnel. Each sample was repackaged into sterile vials for secure transport to the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun.
The samples will be analysed at the WII’s genetics laboratory under the guidance of Dr. Samrat Mondol, as part of the RhoDIS India program—India’s DNA-based Rhino Database and Forensic System. The initiative, launched in 2016, is a collaboration between the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), rhino-bearing states, WWF India, and WII.
The main objectives of the RhoDIS India program are to strengthen rhino crime investigations through genetic traceability and support scientific management of India’s rhino population using DNA data.
The approved RhoDIS protocol, standardised by the MoEFCC, will be followed to generate individual DNA profiles from each horn sample. This not only allows forensic tracking of illegal rhino horn trade but also enables researchers to monitor changes in Short Tandem Repeat (STR) allele frequencies, offering insight into genetic diversity shifts over time.
Additionally, a subset of the samples has been stored for future chemical analysis of horn composition, which may further enhance understanding of rhino biology and horn characteristics.
Also Read: Over 2,600 killed in two decades of human-elephant conflict in Assam
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