# Assam refuses to give rhino, Madhya Pradesh looks at other zoos 2026-08-18T01:25:52+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet Madhya Pradesh's plan to bring a rhino from Assam has failed. Assam has declined the transfer, forcing the state to approach zoos in Bihar and West Bengal instead, said Van Vihar director Vijay Kumar. In October 2024, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav and his Assam counterpart Himanta Biswa Sarma signed an MoU for the exchange of animals. Assam was to provide a rhino, wild buffaloes and king cobras. Van Vihar was first to apply for a rhino after the pact. A senior Madhya Pradesh forest official said Assam could not spare a rhino under the zoo-to-zoo programme, and Assam-reared wild rhinos are not suitable because state staff lack training. Assam has so far sent two batches of wild buffaloes under the MoU. Van Vihar's separate proposal to get a king cobra from Karnataka is also stalled. ## Coverage - freepressjournal.in This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Tags: Assam, Himanta Biswa Sarma, Madhya Pradesh, Mohan Yadav, Van Vihar Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/assam-refuses-to-give-rhino-madhya-pradesh-looks-at-other-zoos/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/assam-refuses-to-give-rhino-madhya-pradesh-looks-at-other-zoos/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes. How this brief was made: an AI model read the report linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/