GUWAHATI: The Hitman, as Rohit Sharna is known, did strike, be it as an opener with controlled aggression for a classy century in the ODI against West Indies here on Sunday evening or as an ambassador of the one-horned rhino….in the Land of Rhinos.
The elegant opening batsman from Mumbai was recently named the WWF-India brand ambassador for rhino conservation and his presence in Guwahati was a big boost for the conservation of the species, officials at the conservation organisation say.
For Rohit, the cause of rhino conservation is very close to his heart.
“My association with WWF-India stems from my love for the species. Being in Guwahati, the land of the rhinos is indeed a pleasure and I am grateful for this opportunity that I have to make a difference to the animal and the
land they inhabit. As WWF-India’s rhino ambassador, I will do everything I can in my ability to spread awareness for the protection and survival of the rhino and help make this world a better place for them,” he was quoted in a statement issued by WWF-India.
As one of the country’s largest conservation organisations, WWF-India has been working on rhino conservation for over four decades and has been instrumental in many milestones and successes in protecting the greater one horned rhino or the Indian rhino.
“Rohit’s association with the organisation and the cause is a big fillip towards spreading the message of protecting rhinos and preserving their habitats,” sources at WWF-India said.
The flamboyant vice captain of the Indian ODI team, who treated the spectators at the ACA Stadium here on Sunday with his six hitting prowess, also lent his autographed bat and jersey to be auctioned to support of WWF-India’s conservation efforts in India.
India is home to 82 per cent of the world’s rhinos. Once found all along the Indo-Gangetic-Brahmaputra Valley,
the Indian rhino is now only found in select pockets in India and Nepal, with only about 3,500 of them left in both India and Nepal as a result of excessive poaching for their horn and loss of rhino habitats.
A key initiator of the Indian Rhino Vision (IRV) 2020 in Assam in partnership with the Assam forest department and other partners, WWF-India is currently working to ensure that a breeding population of
the greater one-horned rhino in India is spread across 10 protected areas by 2030.
Rohit, through his association with WWF-India, has joined the league of various celebrities across the globe supporting WWF’s conservation activities across countries. In India, celebrities such as Amitabh Bachchan, Aamir Khan, Vidya Balan, cricketers Sachin Tendulkar and Shikhar Dhawan, actor Arjun Kapoor and others have supported WWF-India’s work in the past.