The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) India has recently published a report titled ‘Prevalence of Endoparasitic Infections in Free-Ranging Greater One-Horned Rhinoceros’ for Assam and West Bengal. This report sheds light on the lesser known natural causes of death amongst rhinos, with poaching typically cited as the main cause. Since 2017, the Rhino Task Force of Assam and WWF India have made strides in studying pathogens found in fresh rhino dung samples from Assam, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal, marking an unprecedented focus on disease-causing parasites and diseases affecting the rhino population in India.
Understanding the Role of Habitat Degradation
Researchers have identified a strong correlation between habitat degradation and an increased risk of pathogen exposure. The pressure of increasing livestock numbers in protected areas threatens to transfer pathogens from domestic animals to wild creatures, posing a significant risk to their health.
A Deeper Look into the Study’s Findings
In the analysis of samples collected from Assam and West Bengal, the study concluded that parasites from four genera were present in an estimated 68% of India’s rhino population. It was revealed that the overall presence of endoparasites was 58.57% in Assam and 88.46% in West Bengal. These endoparasites, including tapeworms, flukes, and protozoans of vertebrates, live within the tissues and organs of their hosts.
The Greater One-Horned Rhino: An Overview
Asia is home to three species of rhino – the Greater one-horned (Rhinoceros unicornis), the Javan, and the Sumatran. Besides poaching, habitat loss poses a serious threat to these rhinos’ survival. To address this, the five rhino range nations (India, Bhutan, Nepal, Indonesia and Malaysia) signed ‘The New Delhi Declaration on Asian Rhinos 2019’, a declaration for the conservation and protection of the species.
Protection Status and Habitat of Rhinos
The Javan and Sumatran Rhino are critically endangered, and the Greater one-horned (or Indian) rhino is listed as vulnerable in IUCN Red List. All three are listed under Appendix I (CITES), with the Greater one-horned rhino also listed under the Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. This rhino species inhabits small areas in Indo-Nepal terai, northern West Bengal, and Assam, primarily residing in protected regions like Kaziranga NP, Pobitora WLS, Orang NP, Manas NP, Jaldapara NP, and Gorumara NP in West Bengal, and Dudhwa TR in Uttar Pradesh.
Conservation Efforts by India
The Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has initiated a project to create DNA profiles of all rhinos in the country, marking significant progress in the field. The National Rhino Conservation Strategy, launched in 2019, aims to protect the Greater one-horned rhinoceros. As part of this strategy, the ambitious Indian Rhino Vision 2020 was launched in 2005. This vision seeks to establish a wild population of at least 3,000 Greater one-horned rhinos, spread across seven protected areas in Assam, by 2020.
