(IN): Lone rhino raids fringe villages

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Lone rhino raids fringe villages

- 'Kanhela' from Gorumara goes for a walk OUR CORRESPONDENT

 

*Siliguri, Sept. 15:* A male adult rhino strayed around 10km from the core

area of Gorumara National Park last night and went marauding through at

least five villages in Jalpaiguri's Mainaguri block today, devouring paddy,

damaging bicycles and even charging at a vehicle of the forest department.

 

Till late this evening, forest officials had failed in their attempts to

drive the rhino back into its habitat. They are now hoping that a couple of

trained elephants may be able to steer the rhino out of the populated areas.

 

The wildlife-II division of the state forest department created dossiers on

each of the 31 rhinos of Gorumara early this year and the animal in question

was named Kanhela (Drooping Ears). According to the foresters, Kanhela must

have strayed out of the core area, crossed the Ramsai range located on the

fringes of the national park before arriving in Dakshin Barogila village

this morning.

 

" We were surprised to see a rhino in the middle of the paddy fields this

morning, " Sailendranath Roy, a resident of the area, said. " Hundreds of

villagers soon gathered at the spot and shouted at it in an attempt to drive

it towards the forest. The animal, however, appeared unperturbed. Glancing

occasionally at us, it went on devouring the paddy sown in the fields. "

 

Roy added that they had never seen a rhino near their village, though

elephant raids are frequent.

 

Hearing the news, the foresters from Gorumara rushed to the spot. By the

time they arrived, however, the rhino had moved to Paschim Barogila, the

next village, while more and more people gathered to watch the herbivore,

which unlike elephants, are rarely spotted close to human habitation.

 

" After locating it, we requested the people to give way so that it could be

driven back to the forest, " an official of the forest department said.

" However, the villagers were so excited by the sight of the rhino that they

refused to budge. "

 

The foresters burst crackers, which appeared to scare the animal. It started

moving, but away from the forests and towards Kalamati and Amguri, two

nearby villages.

 

When the foresters tried once again to shepherd it back to the forest, the

rhino snorted and suddenly charged at a forest vehicle, damaging one of the

front wheels with its horn.

 

" As it was being continuously disturbed, it also ran at the crowd that had

gathered around it and damaged at least 20 bicycles that the onlookers had

parked in fields and roads. All of us ran and some got injured after

slipping in the mud, " a villager said.

 

After four-five hours of toil, around 11am, the foresters managed to make

the rhino turn back.

 

" Slowly, it started moving through the village road leading to the Ramsai

range of the national park. We were temporarily relieved, but the continuous

shouting of villagers prompted it to leave the road and slip into the muddy

waters of a canal flowing nearby. We desperately tried to guide it back to

the forest again, but it did not move an inch, " a forester said

 

After hours of waiting, the foresters decided that Surya and Shilabati, two

trained elephants, would be brought from Gorumara to steer the rhino into

the national park. The elephants started for Amguri and arrived at the spot

late in the evening.

 

Tapas Das, the divisional forest officer (wildlife-2) who went to the spot

to see the pachyderm, said: " Rhinos, unlike elephants, do not move out of

their habitat frequently, unless there is infighting. We are yet to find out

why Kanhela strayed out of its habitat. Our employees are trying to bring it

back to the national park with the help of trained elephants. "

 

Of late, rhinos in Gorumara have been hitting the headlines, with a skewing

sex ratio leading to frequent deaths or injury from infighting. The ideal

sex ratio for rhinos is one male for two females, whereas in Gorumara it is

one male for every female. Thus the competition among the male rhinos over

mating is very high.

 

In November last year, another male rhino had strayed out of the core area

and headed for Chapramari Wildlife Sanctuary before being brought back after

hours of labour. Foresters suspected that the rhino had been muscled out of

its territory by another male.

 

 

 

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