How Kerala can learn from Assam’s model to manage rhinos entering human habitats

With Kerala sharing striking similarities with Assam, not lone successful clime and situation but besides successful wildlife situation and their conservation methods, it tin gully invaluable lessons from the measures adopted by the Assam Forest section successful the conservation of one-horned rhinoceroses successful its protected sanctuaries with the assistance of rescued chaotic elephants.

Kerala and Assam look rising man-animal struggle successful villages adjacent to wildlife sanctuaries oregon wood fringe areas. For instance, the Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary astatine Mayong, which comes nether the Morigaon and Kamrup (metro) districts of Assam and is known for holding the highest density of Greater One-Horned Rhinoceros successful the country, is location to 107 rhinos and a kumki elephant unit comprising 15 rescued elephants. 

Speaking to The Hindu, Pranjal Baruah, ranger of Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary nether Guwahati WL Division, Basistha, said the sanctuary covers astir 37 villages, and rhinos stray into 70% of the areas nether these villages. Unlike Kerala, marauding rhinos stray into quality habitations astatine slightest 20 times successful a day. However, successful 80% of the cases, the rhinos would instrumentality to the sanctuary connected their own, and lone the remainder had to beryllium chased backmost to the sanctuary by the Forest department. 

Tough task

As rhinos grounds comparatively little quality than galore different animals, particularly chaotic elephants, which are precise social, and solitary males and pistillate rhinos with calves are ferocious successful chaotic conditions, chasing them backmost is an arduous task for the villagers and wood staff. Here comes the work of trained kumki elephants, whose main relation is to pursuit the assertive rhinos backmost to the sanctuary. 

According to Prahlad Phukan, a wood defender astatine the sanctuary, the rhinos that stray into quality habitations would destruct crops, particularly matured paddy and different crops, isolated from posing a menace to quality lives. No villager volition situation spell adjacent a rhino if it appears aggressive. “We hold until the carnal comes backmost to its mean behaviour to safely thrust it backmost to the sanctuary,” said Mr. Phukan. 

Since rhinos are rather unsafe successful chaotic conditions and they are territorial animals, which hardly person immoderate herd characteristics, the officials won’t tranquilise an assertive rhino nether mean circumstances. First, they person mediocre eyesight and trust mostly connected their consciousness of odor and proceeding to observe objects.

Therefore, tranquilisation is lone the past edifice erstwhile a rhino repeatedly strays into quality habitations aft losing its mode and is incapable to beryllium driven backmost to the sanctuary by wood unit with kumki elephants and different methods. Moreover, the process of tranquilising a rhino has to beryllium followed with strict riders as per the suggestions of veterinary officers. However, the method of chasing the rhinos backmost to the sanctuary with the assistance of elephants is simply a palmy method, proven by the section here, said Mr. Baruah. 

Moreover, the conservation measures jointly carried retired by the Centre and the Assam authorities person yielded results successful the sanctuary, which was declared unfastened successful 1987, with the rhino colonisation steadily expanding to 107, arsenic per the 2022 census successful the sanctuary. It is besides present location to different species, including 22 taxon of mammals, 375 taxon of birds, 27 taxon of reptiles, 9 taxon of amphibians, and 39 taxon of pisces (fish).

A full of 10,933 waterbirds crossed 56 taxon person been sighted successful the Asian Waterbird Census successful Pobitora successful held successful January 2025, consisting of 80% migratory and 20% nonmigratory birds, accidental officials.

The writer was successful Assam astatine the invitation of Press Information Bureau