GUWAHATI: Cricketer and wildlife conservationist, Kevin Pietersen’s short documentary on the rhinos of Kaziranga National Park is set to be premiered on National Geographic on Tuesday.
Pietersen, who is currently on IPL (Indian Premier League) duty as a TV commentator-presenter in the United Arab Emirates, took time off to post a reminder on Twitter about ‘Save This Rhino’, his latest documentary on Kaziranga rhinos, to be fittingly aired on World Rhino Day.
“Poaching, floods and habitat loss are real threats to the Indian rhinos of Kaziranga. Join me on a journey to save these majestic animals. ‘Save This Rhino’ premieres 22nd September at 1 pm, repeat at 9 pm, on Nat Geo India Wild,” the former English cricketer of South African origin, posted.
Pietersen had come to the Kaziranga National Park in March this year to work on the documentary, which is also a part of his initiative, SORAI (Save our Rhinos in Africa and India).
During the shoot, the tall cricketer shared many pictures of his experience in the Kaziranga region and had established a strong connection with the people of Assam.
In July this year, the cricketer expressed solidarity with the flood victims of the state. The deluge had affected animals at the Kaziranga National Park when, at one point of time, almost the entire park was submerged.
Meanwhile, Assam forest minister Parimal Suklabaidya on Monday also took to Twitter to inform people about the much-awaited documentary’s premiere.
Sharing the trailer of the documentary, Suklabaidya wrote, “Join Pietersen in his exploring journey to Kaziranga and the rhinos of Assam as he features our majestic pride at the global television arena.”
The new documentary series, “Save This Rhino” on National Geographic underlines the need to secure the survival of rhinos with the species under threat of becoming extinct.
The documentary follows the experiences of Pietersen as he delves deep into the conservation efforts of the endangered one-horned rhinos of Kaziranga.
Increased surveillance and awareness have over the years reduced rhino poaching to a great extent in Kaziranga, with the numbers coming down from a high of 27 rhinos killed in 2014 to a low of two rhinos killed last year at the park.