Indian Rhinoceros: Rhisotope Project, IUCN Status, & Habitat

The Indian Rhinoceros is the biggest Rhino species. Rhino populations, which were formerly common over the whole northern Indian subcontinent, drastically declined as a result of hunting and killings for agricultural practices. The Indian Rhinoceros, scientifically known as Rhinoceros unicornis, is a remarkable and unique species native to the Indian subcontinent. Known for its distinctive appearance and cultural significance, this large herbivorous mammal has garnered attention for its physical attributes and historical and religious associations in the region.

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What is the Rhisotope Project? 

It involves a non-invasive procedure where measured low doses of radioisotopes are injected into the horns of live rhinoceroses. This makes the horn useless and toxic for human consumption, while the procedure is safe for rhinoceroses. 

• Radioactively treated rhino horns are identifiable by Radiation Portal Monitors (RPMs) and scanners at borders, ports, and airports, even inside fully loaded containers. 
• Radioactive markers make horns dangerous to smugglers and less marketable in illegal trade, discouraging poaching. 

What are Radioisotopes? 

Radioisotopes are radioactive with unstable atomic nuclei that emit ionising radiation (alpha, beta, or gamma) to achieve a more stable nuclear configuration. 

• It is caused by an imbalance between neutrons and protons in the nuclei. Eg: Carbon-14 (C-14) & Tritium (H-3). 
• To achieve stability, they emit energy and particles that can be detected by devices such as a Geiger counter or photographic film. 
• Isotopes: Isotopes are atoms of the same element with the same atomic number (protons) but different mass numbers (protons + neutrons).
  • E.g., Protium, Deuterium & Tritium (isotopes of hydrogen). 
• Applications: 
  • Medicine (I-131 for thyroid diagnostics, Tc-99m for imaging), Industry, Power generation, Archaeology (C-14 dating). 

About the Indian Rhinoceros

The Indian Rhinoceros is sometimes known as the 'Greater one-horned Rhinoceros. Of the three Asian rhinos, it is the biggest. The Javan Rhinoceros is smaller than the Indian Rhinoceros, distinguishable by its larger size, a large horn, tubercles on its skin, and a different configuration of skin folds. The Indian Rhinoceros is roughly equivalent in size to the white Rhinoceros of Africa. The highest grasslands in the world are home to the Indian Rhinoceros. Except during the winter, when they ingest a greater percentage of forage, they are primarily grazers.

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Characteristics of the Indian Rhino

The significant characteristics of the Rhinoceros are as follows:

• The Indian Rhinoceros is the biggest of the three Asian Rhinos.
• The African white Rhino and the Indian rhino are the two largest Rhino species, with the Indian rhino being the largest of the three Asian Rhinos. Along with its gray-brown pelt and skin folds, it is recognised by its lone black horn.
• Greater one-horned Rhinos live in northern India and Nepal, as well as Indian rhinos. It may be distinguished from its African relatives, all of which have two horns, by its solitary horn.
• The Indian Rhinoceros, which was once found throughout the northern Indian subcontinent, currently only exists in scattered groups in Nepal and India.
• Rhinoceroses are crucial in assisting shade-intolerant trees colonising open areas by excreting the fruits' seeds consumed from the forest floor.

Distribution And Habitat of the Indian Rhino

• The rhinoceros population in India once thrived in various settings, but it currently only exists in a few specific locations. Most of these locations are grasslands next to rivers or other water sources.
• Although the Indian Rhinoceros prefers to reside on floodplain grasslands, they can occasionally be found in nearby wetlands and woods.
• Because human-dominated environments surround its natural habitat, this species may be found in numerous places, such as pastures and cultivated regions.
• Other than when females are with their young, Indian Rhinos are primarily solitary animals. Small, loosely linked groups of people are common, particularly around wallowing or foraging sites. They mainly eat during the chilly hours of the early morning, late afternoon, or night.

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Behaviour of the Indian Rhinoceros

• Indian Rhinos are herbivores; they consume planted crops, grass, leaves, fruit, and branches from aquatic plants.
• The middens, or mounds of excrement left behind by Indian Rhinoceroses, are valuable not just as repositories for scent and as a means of communication but also as potential planting grounds.
• Males have poorly defined, poorly protected home ranges that frequently overlap.
• The Indian Rhinoceros is a grazer that consumes nearly exclusively grasses but is also known to consume fruits, leaves, branches from bushes, and aquatic vegetation.

IUCN Status Of the Indian Rhinoceros

• With as few as 2700 remaining in the wild, greater one-horned rhinos are classified as vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.
• India and Nepal have improved their efforts to combat poaching and established protected parks and reserves, aiding growth.
• As a result of certain Asian civilisations' belief that rhinoceros horns have medical significance, Rhinoceroses have historically been killed for their horns. The Rhino horn is formed of keratin, the protein found in human hair and nails.

Threats to the Indian Rhino

• Greater one-horned rhinos, often known as Indian Rhinos, are the second-largest Asian Rhinos in the world. They are very defenceless despite being lovely animals.
• Although there are numerous causes for this, each of us may contribute to saving this wonderful species.
• Five subspecies of Rhinos fall under this vulnerable category. Poaching and habitat destruction are contributing to the decline of the Rhino population.
• Since 1940, the number of Indian Rhinos has dropped by at least 80%, according to the Indian government.

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Poaching And Illegal Trafficking Of Rhino Horn

One of the primary reasons why Rhinos are still endangered today is poaching and the illegal trade in Rhino horn, which has significantly expanded. Criminal gangs that are well-organised and have the means to track down and kill Rhinos have made poaching a lucrative industry.

Facts and Numbers

• In India, 692 Rhinos were poached between 1980 and 1993.
• In India's Laokhowa Wildlife Sanctuary, 41 Rhinos were murdered in 1983, nearly the entire population. Poaching had driven the species extinct by the mid-1990s.
• Assam saw only one incidence of Rhino poaching in 2021. This is the lowest number of instances recorded in the state in 21 years.
• Poachers killed 12 one-horned rhinos in Kaziranga National Park in April 2021, according to government records.

Causes of poaching

• Poaching for Rhino horn remains the greatest danger to the larger one-horned Rhino.
• Although there is no scientific evidence of its medicinal benefit, the horn is utilised in traditional Asian remedies to cure several maladies such as epilepsy, fevers, and cancer.
• Because of the rising demand for Rhino horn in Southeast Asian countries, Rhino poaching has expanded substantially.

Loss Of Habitat

The other main hazard to Rhino numbers is habitat loss. There is less area left for Rhinos to thrive in as more and more land is destroyed for agriculture. Rhinos require a big space to eat and wander.

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Indian Rhinoceros Conservation

• The Indian Rhinoceros has been listed as endangered since 1975. Since then, the Indo-Nepali government has made significant advancements in protecting this species.
• The World Wide Fund has also contributed to protecting this species. All Rhino hunting was outlawed in India by the government.
• Five rhinos were sent to Dudhwa National Park in 984. This threatened species may be found in the Kaziranga National Park, the Pobitra Reserve Forest in Assam, which has India's significant Rhino population in the Orang National Park of Assam, and the Lokhawa Reserve Forest.

Indian Rhino Vision 2020 (IRV2020)

• The Indian Rhino Vision 2020 initiative was established in 2005 to protect the one-horned Rhinoceros in Assam.
• The program aimed to double Assam's one-horned Rhino population from the preexisting 2000 to 3000 by 2020.

Objectives of the Indian Rhino Vision 2020

• IRV 2020 aimed to raise the Rhino population in Assam to 3,000 from 2,000 by the year 2020.
• Translocating Rhinos from two source populations, Kaziranga National Park and Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary, to several target Protected Areas (PAs), including Manas National Park, Laokhowa Wildlife Sanctuary, Burachapori Wildlife Sanctuary, Dibru-Saikhowa National Park, and possibly Orang National Park.

Significance of the Indian Rhino Vision 2020

• The Indian Rhino Vision 2020 has already had a substantial impact on the species and will continue to do so in the future.
• The effort will help to mingle DNA from Rhinos from Kaziranga National Park and Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary, resulting in a healthy, reproducing population of Rhinos for the species' future.
• The Indian Rhino Vision 2020 (IRV2020) project has officially concluded with the relocation two Rhinos to Manas National Park in Assam, India, in April 2021.

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Cultural Significance of the Indian Rhinoceros

• The Indian rhinoceros is a recurring symbol on the Pashupati seal, and numerous terracotta figurines were discovered at the archaeological sites of the Indus Valley civilisation.
• In Hinduism, the rhinoceros is associated with the goddess Durga and serves as her vahana.
• Dhrangadhra, Gujarat, houses a temple dedicated to Maa Dhavdi.
• The Rhinoceros Sutra, found in early Buddhist texts like the Gandhāran Buddhist texts, Pali Canon, and a Sanskrit version known as Mahavastu, extols the solitary and stoic lifestyle of the Indian rhinoceros.
• This sutra is linked with the eremitic way of life exemplified by the Pratyekabuddha.

Interesting Facts About the Indian Rhinoceros

• Rhinoceros unicornis is a scientific name derived from the Greek words "Rhino" (nose) and "ceros" (horn), as well as "unicornis" (one) and "cornis" (horn) in Latin.
• The bigger one-horned Rhino lives in riverine (floodplain) grasslands and associated woods in northern India and southern Nepal.
• The greater one-horned Rhino is a grazer. When not grazing on land, animals like to submerge in water and feed on aquatic flora.
• Gestation lasts around 15 – 16 months, and moms have one calf every 2 – 3 years.
• Except for females with offspring, greater one-horned Rhinos usually are alone. Males defend their domains haphazardly.
• The Indian Rhinoceros may grow to a length of 10.2 to 12.5 feet and a weight of 3,500 to 6,000 pounds.
• The brownish-grey skin of the Indian Rhinoceros features folds that resemble armour. Legs and shoulders have wart-like lumps all over them.
• Males mature sexually at nine, whereas females do so between the ages of four and six.
• The Indian Rhinoceros has a 40-year lifespan in the wild.
• Early in the morning and late in the afternoon are the Indian Rhinoceros' active times.
• The Indian rhinoceros likes to hang around regions with plenty of mud and water to cool down in the warmest parts of the day. Indian Rhinos are excellent swimmers.

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UPSC PYQs on Indian Rhinoceros

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