Great One-Horned Rhinocerous (Rhinocerous unicornis)

[Jimmy]

(08-06-2018, 02:37 PM).Rishi Wrote:

(08-05-2018, 10:49 AM)Jimmy Wrote:

(08-04-2018, 08:55 PM)Smilodon-Rex Wrote: Jimmy,could I copy your works?

Most certainly, and good luck with four greater one horned rhinos that nepal will be providing to the peoples rep. of China!!!

About that, i have a question. I've only read news articles regarding it & it sounds like the rhinos are wild ones from Chitwan! Are they?

The rhinos are going to be released in Chimelong Safari Park in Guangzhou. It's a prudent move, but wouldn't captive animals suffice?
That's wastage of good rhinos. 

Nepal did a noble thing when they gifted a pair of rhinos to Pakistan's Lal Suhanra National Park (650 sq.km) in 1983.
The dry forest located on river Satluj is the largest remnant of semi-arid wilderness in northwestern part of the subcontinent where rhinos were once found! It is a unique habitat.

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

Unfortunately, that pair hadn't bred. I don't know if they even are still alive. 

But something like this should be done again. And who better than Nepal (not India definitely, too much bad blood between the two countries)!

you know quite a bit @Rishi , yes the pair of rhinos have been given to Chimelong safari and another pair is waiting to be moved. I think more than anything it's a mutual diplomacy between neighboring countries. Chitwan is quite a bit stocked with rhinos , among the given rhinos one was swept away in flood, other three were from a heavy density areas-all wild.  Few individual of rare species given elsewhere to boost species survival is a traditional practice which i think this is a follow up,as far as i am concerned it's a difficult process reintroducing 'kept' animals, offspring of which would have to cope with wild environment in the future and i don't believe this as a true conservation. On the other hand, I think it's more has to do with advertisting to Chinese citizens that there are rhinos in Nepal as India is synonymous with bengal tigers, and as a way of bringing tourist here. The fact that people living around Chitwan did not seem to mind the move proves this. Chinese tourist are already making there presence in Nepal even during off-season when Europen tourist dries up and resorts are all vacant and buisness plummets.

The thing with Lal Suharna national park is that rhino provided from Chitwan (i think siblings) did not bred there, they had demanded another set of fresh rhinos in a hope that they will mate successfully but grovernment of Nepal decided they would rather move them within the country, Lal Suharna although historical rhino habitat seems too arid for rhinos that are habituated to the in Lush habitat of Chitwan, they may take a long time to adapt and breed. It also doen't look like a well protected park for something as prized as rhinoceros-magnet for poachers, i have seen footage of crowds mocking and misbehaving with rhinoceros there and some years ago i had read similar news so it doen't look promising even from the managament point of view.
even the rhino looks quite tame and doesnot look like it belongs to the wild there.

*This image is copyright of its original author

that coupled with the fact that even Inside Nepal there are future projects fro translocation of rare animals Gaur, wild buffalo, blackbuck and barahsingha which are doing well in there respective reserves. Even  when translocation is carried out in a similar habitat there is no guarantee that they will survive, in Bardia around 70 to 80 translocated rhinos have died. 5 out of 15 wild buffaloes to Chitwan has died. So it's hard enough for them surviving in similar habitat let alone entirely different geography and now translocation to Bardia faces heavy opposition from Chitwan locals (like gir lions being pride of Gujarat alone) which was why now they will be translocated to Shuklaphanta- to swap with herds of barasingha and possibly to Koshi tappu to swap with wild buffaloes. Reply