19 Mar, 2018

Assam’s Famous Pobitora National Park Makes it to 102 Rhinos

Crossing the bar of 100 in this year’s census, the Pobitora National Park in Morigaon district of Assam sees a slight increase in its number of one-horned rhino members. The survey that was last carried out by the State’s Forest Department in 2012, found 93 rhinos in the habitat. In the same year i.e., 2012, the park also lost 26 rhinos out of which 6 were targeted by poachers. For the survey that was conducted in Pobitora, the National Park was divided in seven blocks by the officials, where the 102 rhinos include 43 female, 11 sub-adult female, 28 male, 12 above one year and 8 calves below one year. Pobitora which is known for the highest density of Indian one-horned rhinos in the world along with Kaziranga National Park, the shelter for two thirds of the world’s great one-horned rhinos, are the pride of Assam. Out of the two, Kaziranga National Park gets most of the attention of wildlife lovers across the globe as it also hosts the highest density of tigers in the world.

[Also Read: Kaziranga National Park in The Year 2017]

The National Park which is set up in an area of 38.8 km², gives only 16km² to the residing rhinos, making them helpless and hence the rhinos sway out of the area. Cattle grazing is another reason for the one-horned species to choose unprotected areas over their own habitat. Concerned over the matter, the Forest Officials find translocating as the right option to save the one horned rhinos. Where as per the Indian Rhino Vision 2020, 10 rhinos have already been translocated to Manas National Park from Pobitora. The surveys that were conducted in the previous years found 54 rhinos in 1987, 56 in 1993, 68 in 1995, followed by 74 in the year 1999, 81 in 2006 and 2009 saw a rise of 3 rhinos.