Another One-Horned Rhino Dies In Assam, This Time At Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary
A full-grown female one-horned rhinoceros is suspected to have died after drowning in flood waters at the Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary in Assam’s Morigaon district.
Guwahati: The carcass of a full-grown female one-horned rhinoceros was recovered from a water body at the Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary in Assam’s Morigaon district on Tuesday. The authorities of the wildlife sanctuary however suspect that the rhino died due to drowning in flood waters. Almost 80 per cent of the wildlife sanctuary is inundated by flood waters. The floods have severely affected the sanctuary with 10 of its anti-poaching camps still reeling under the flood waters.
While speaking to media persons, Range Officer of Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary, Nayan Jyoti Das said, “The rhino may have died due to drowning this morning. A group of local villagers discovered the carcass of the rhino floating in the Haduk Beel and soon informed us. On receiving the information, we immediately rushed to the spot and retrieved the carcass of the rhino with the help of the villagers and sent it for a post-mortem.”
“Though the flood situation in the sanctuary has improved marginally, it has resulted in massive siltation in the rhino and buffalo habitats, due to which, the animals have been facing severe shortage of food. The rhino could have been trying to go out of the sanctuary in search of food negotiating the flood waters. However, if it again rains heavily, the silt will be washed away thus reducing the problem,” Das added.
The Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary, with an area of 38.85 square kilometers, has one of the largest populations of one-horned rhinoceros in Assam after the Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve. According to the March 2022 rhino census, the sanctuary is home to 107 one-horned rhinos.
On August 25 this year, the carcass of a rhino was recovered with its horn missing at the Kohora range of Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve. The park authorities, however, stated the cause of the death to be natural. Authorities of the park said that 43-44 rhinos, including calves and adults, have died in the park till August this year.
Other than the Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary and Kaziranga National Park, three more rhinos have died in the state’s Manas National Park this year.
Assam has the highest population of the one-horned rhinoceros with three of its national parks — Kaziranga National Park, Orang National Park, and Manas National Park as well as one wildlife sanctuary, the Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary, home to the endangered species.
At present, there are around 3,700 one-horned rhinoceros populations in Asia, which has seen a significant growth from 200 at the beginning of the 20th century.
The writer is a senior independent journalist covering the Northeast.
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