Indian Rhinoceros

The Indian rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis) is found only in the Brahmaputra valley, parts of North Bengal, and parts of southern Nepal.
It has a single black horn that can grow up to 60 cm, and a tough, grey-brown hide with skin folds, which gives the animal its characteristic armour-plated look.
It is listed as Vulnerable (better than endangered, worse than near threatened) in the IUCN Red List; it was earlier placed in the endangered category.
It is listed as a Schedule I animal in the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.

Why are Rhinos poached for horns?

Ground rhino horn is used in traditional Chinese medicine to cure a range of ailments, from cancer to hangovers, and also as an aphrodisiac.
In Vietnam, possessing a rhino horn is considered a status symbol.
Due to demand in these countries, poaching pressure on rhinos is ever persistent against which one cannot let the guard down.

Flourishing population

According to the WWF, there are around 3,700 Indian rhinos in the wild today.
Assam’s Kaziranga National Park (KNP) alone has 2,613 animals, according to a census carried out in March 2022.
There are more than 250 other rhinos in the Orang, Pobitora, and Manas parks.
The WWF says the “recovery of the greater one-horned rhino is among the greatest conservation success stories in Asia”.

Try this PYQ:

Q. Consider the following statements:

Asiatic lion is naturally found in India only.

Double-humped camel is naturally found in India only.

One-horned rhinoceros is naturally found in India only.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) 1 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

Post your answers here.

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