(IN): Rhino population dwindles alarmingly

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Link: http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20070036061

 

*Rhino population dwindles alarmingly*

 

Sourav Sanyal

Sunday, December 16, 2007 (Kolkata)

For the one-horned rhinos of Jaldapara, it's a crisis like never before. A

population explosion among the endangered rhinos is threatening to flare up

into bloody conflicts among the animals.

 

Their count is up from as little as 14 in 1985 to 122 now and fodder

shortage in the wildlife sanctuary is becoming a real problem.

 

''Once the rhino population in the 70s came down to somewhere around 12.

Gradually because of protection and better scientific habitat improvement

programme now the rhino population has come up very well,'' said V K Yadav,

Conservator Of Forests, Western Circle, West Bengal.

 

While the rhinos eat leaves, fruits and buds, their staple is soft grass. So

now the forest department is busy planting new varieties of grass and

extending the rhino habitat to meet the increasing demand for food.

 

''Originally the sanctuary was 117 sq km area, gradually another 100 sq km

has been added and since the rhino population is increasing, they are

dispersing in various preferred habitats which have been created in the

eastern and western flank of the Torsha river,'' said V K Yadav, Conservator

Of Forests, Western Circle, West Bengal.

 

There is a problem, however. The river Torsha runs through Jaldapara

sanctuary and overflows during the monsoons, restricting free movement of

the rhinos.

 

As a fallback, forest officials are planning to create a corridor to the

neighbouring Buxa forest and cultivate grasslands there so that the growing

rhino population has more than elbowroom.

 

 

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