1992, April, 33
1993, 34
Poaching 1991-1993, 3
Laokhowa, nil
Pobitora, 56
12
1993, 34
Gorumara, 15
Orang, 97
Dudhwa, 1
Manas, 60
Total India, 1437
Jaldapara, 34
Kaziranga, 1164 ?136
13
15
15
400
415
Others, 10
Poaching 1981-1990, 4 animals poached
Map
Two disastrous spells of poaching, in 1968-1972 and 1982-1985.
Declared a Wildlife sanctuary with additional land.
It was managed as a unit of Jalpaiguri Forest Division since the creation of the forest dept.
working group of R. Sukumar, R.C. Lacy, J.A. Santosh, S.Molur, A.Tajuddin, R.K. Sinha, U.S.Seal: Pabitora is near habitat capacity. It will require monitoring to detect population trends and to restore the population in the event of a catastophe.
Poaching 1968-1972, 7 animals poached.
Working group of R. Sukumar, R.C. Lacy, J.A. Santosh, S.Molur, A.Tajuddin, R.K. Sinha, U.S.Seal: Rhino numbers have not indreased much during the past few decades, indicating that the population is very close to the carrying capacity, which is estimated at 20, and that growth rate is less than 1% per year. This is potentially subject to severe inbreeding. The Gorumara population will require intensive management and frequent supplementation to survive demographic, stochastic and potential inbreeding depressions from genetic drift.
The forested tract of Jaldapara has been under the control of the forest department since 1886 and under systematic management through prescriptions of Dr William Schlich in 1874-75. The first management plan maintains salt licks, glades, wallows, cultivation of fodder in glades. It stressed the need for maintaining fire lines. To save grasslands from being swamped by Mikania species, experiments for its eradication were initiated. To arrest xeric succession in plants, cutting back of trees was initiated on an experimental scale.
Working group of R. Sukumar, R.C. Lacy, J.A. Santosh, S.Molur, A.Tajuddin, R.K. Sinha, U.S.Seal: 1. If a management goal of 70 rhinos for Jaldapara is considered, the present population may take 15-25 years to grow to this level through normal reproduction. The size population is viable in a metapopulation management strategy. 2. The Jaldapara population at the present status and growth rate cannot sustain an annual poaching rate of even 2% or one rhino per year. 3. The Jaldapara population is inbred, heterozygosity retained may be around 75%. Supplementation of fresh lines into this population at intervals will increase the gene diversity and the viability.
1. Poor representation of individuals in the potentially reproductive class has resulted in a very slow rate of increase of the population. 2. Hunting (poaching) for rhino horn. 3. Domestic cattle of villages and tea estates on fringes enter the park. 4. Collection of firewood by villagers. 5. Shrinkage of habitat by weed invasion. 6. Flooding of rivers torsa and malangi. Severe floods took place in 1952, 1954, 1964, 1968, 1993. The 1968 flood resulted in a change of the course of R. Torsa.
(working group of R. Sukumar, R.C. Lacy, J.A. Santosh, S.Molur, A.Tajuddin, R.K. Sinha, U.S.Seal): Dudhwa population should be supplemented periodically to sustain it for the next 100 years. The population is otherwise too small to grow and stabilize on its own.
In Nepal, poisoning has recently been introduced. In India, pit poaching and shooting were the traditional techniques. More recently, electrocution and poisoning have been added. The traditional pit trapping has declined greatly.
Working Group of P. Lahan, D.K. Ghosh, K.S. Varmah, B.S. Bonal, S.S. Bist. POPULATION Statistics in natural Areas Reserve,Area (km2),Population Size,Growth rate/year,Mortality/year,Poaching/year,Density/sq.km Kaziranga,430,1164,3.45,7.47,3.8,2.71 Manas,500,60,0.3,10,6.6,0.12 Orang,74,97,1,6.91,3.09,1.31 Jaldapara,216,43,3.5,4.41,8.82,0.16 Gorumara,9,15,1,4,13.3,1.67 Pabirora,39,56,1.5,7.39,0.89,1.56 End
Working Group of Vivek Menon, J.T.Mathew, Mohit Aggarwal, Suprava Patnaik, E.B.Martin, E.A. Sumardja, S.K.Das, B.R. Sharma, J.Williams. The penalties in the consumer countries are so low for dealing in rhino horn, and so little enforced that effort should be made to increase the penalties.
The response to the US Pelly Amendment has been to ban the internal trade in rhino horn.
Working Group of P. Lahan, D.K. Ghosh, K.S. Varmah, B.S. Bonal, S.S. Bist. The Indian Rhino with the capacity of extensive lower tract fermentation and with its typical setting of teeth pattern, mouth anatomy and volume of intake, is categorized under 'bulk and roughage feeder'. With aditional rumen/reticulum volume of 53% and 22% more than other ruminants, it requires a microbial synthesis of food intake for almost 20 hours and a caecum digestion for around 3 hours. Reciprocal to this is a very fixed energy output enabling the animal to make limited movement in its foraging efforts and requiring a major time slot for assimilation of food. The Indian Rhino is basically a grazer, the short grassland being its prominent food habitat. Due to adverse shrinking in habitat, the animal is forced to take a considerable amount of browse material.
The response to the US Pelly Amendment has been to ban the internal trade in rhino horn.
Working Group of P. Lahan, D.K. Ghosh, K.S. Varmah, B.S. Bonal, S.S. Bist. The Indian Rhino with the capacity of extensive lower tract fermentation and with its typical setting of teeth pattern, mouth anatomy and volume of intake, is categorized under 'bulk and roughage feeder'. With aditional rumen/reticulum volume of 53% and 22% more than other ruminants, it requires a microbial synthesis of food intake for almost 20 hours and a caecum digestion for around 3 hours. Reciprocal to this is a very fixed energy output enabling the animal to make limited movement in its foraging efforts and requiring a major time slot for assimilation of food. The Indian Rhino is basically a grazer, the short grassland being its prominent food habitat. Due to adverse shrinking in habitat, the animal is forced to take a considerable amount of browse material.
Trade routes out of India, 1993. (1) From Assam and West Bengal through Bhutan to SE and E Asia (2) From Assam and West Bengal through Nepal into SE and E Asia (3) From Assam to Myanmar and on to SE Asia (4) From Assam and West Bengal to Calcutta (now little used).
in 1993. There are 8 ? tons of horn stockpiled. 650 kg are used annually.
There are 3-5 tons of horn stockpiled. 300 kg are used annually.
Signs of heat: restlessness, frequenmt urine squirting, lack of appetite, whistling, vulva flashing, and the vulva becomes swollen and pinkish in colour. The female and male will seek each other's company. The female remains in heat for 18-20 hours. So the male should be allowed close proximity for the first few hours after the onset of heat and should be allowed to enter in the enclosure of the female between 5-6 hours when the peak period is approaching.
Estrus cycle is approx. 30-45 days.
It appears that males in captivity can breed up to 39 years, females upto 31 years.
If the male whistles during courtship behaviour the chances of breeding are higher.
