[Wallowing With Rhinos
Hanne Rylaarsdam
Though this is a short story on how one day went with our GOHRs there are hundreds more stories and fun facts I could share with you all. Having the motivation and dedication to learn more about our rhino species is life-changing, for us and most importantly, the rhinos themselves! Conservation is key in making a difference. Be sure to join us here at Safari Park to see Asha and Carole in person!
Only 68 of the animals are left on the planet, and biologists believe they spend a considerable amount of time in wallows and rivers to cool down and get rid of bugs and parasites. Camping above a wallow built specifically for this purpose, Moore and Hermanjaya had the encounter of a lifetime when one actually showed up.
Today, Ujung Kulon is the last stand for a species that was once widespread across Asia. The last Javan rhino on the Asian mainland was shot by poachers in 2010, in Vietnam, resulting in the total extinction of a distinct subspecies of Javan rhino.
The Indonesian government currently works in partnership with numerous conservation groups, including WWF, GWC, the International Rhino Foundation and the Indonesian Rhino Foundation (YABI), to safeguard this last Javan population. Conservation activities include working to clear the park of an invasive tree species, arenga palm, that is depleting habitat for the rhinos; partnering with local communities; and, of course, protection by wildlife rangers.
Zoo videographer Pat Story documented the historical journey that started in Cincinnati on October 30 and included four flights (Columbus, OH, to Chicago, IL, to Anchorage, AK, to Hong Kong to Jakarta) in a cargo plane, long layovers, tedious inspections and turbulent truck & ferry transports before reaching an end in hot, humid Sumatra very early on November 2.
Reinhart and Roth hope to remain involved with the breeding program at SRS. They will continue to collaborate and help as needed, but the survival of this species is now in the hands of the Indonesians, according to Dr. Roth.
The Cincinnati Zoo works closely with the Indonesian Ministry of Forestry, the Indonesian Rhino Foundation, the IUCN Asian Rhino Specialist Group and the International Rhino Foundation, to protect this species in the wild and also propagate Sumatran rhinos in zoos.
The greater one-horned rhino is one of the most well-known success stories in conservation. Once widespread across northern India, greater one-horned rhinos were hunted for sport and killed by farmers, causing their numbers to dwindle. At the beginning of the 20th century, only around 200 Indian rhinos remained. Since then, conservation efforts have increased that number 20 times over.
Greater one-horned rhinos have slow reproduction habits, which is typical for mammals of their size. Females gestate for around 15 to 16 months and raise their calves alone for at least one and a half years. A healthy female rhino with plenty of potential partners will give birth to a single calf every two to three years.
As megaherbivores, Indian rhinos are integral to the health of their habitats. They keep the balance of different plant species in check and reduce competition for nutrients. They also share their homes with a range of other creatures, who also benefit when we work to protect rhinos.
In 1996, Indian rhinos were classified as endangered by the IUCN. However, thanks to conservation efforts during the 21st century, the IUCN changed their status to vulnerable in 2008, and it stayed there in 2018. The population trend for this species is listed as increasing.
While conservation efforts have successfully prevented the extinction of the greater one-horned rhino, its situation is still unstable. With the population protected in reserves and natural areas of suitable habitat decreasing, it will be difficult to spread the population out and allow it to grow further. The reserves are also necessary to protect the rhinos from poaching, which continues to be a problem as the demand for rhino horn persists.
The Indian one-horned rhinoceros once roamed the tall grasslands of northern India and Nepal, where the grass can grow as tall as seven meters. Today, however, the remaining Indian rhinos live in 11 reserves in different areas of their historical ranges. Although living in reserves still counts as living in the wild, the rhinos are closely monitored for their protection.
All species of rhinos were intensely hunted during the 19th and 20th centuries and continue to be targeted today. They are hunted solely for their horn, which is used in traditional medicine in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore. Ground into a powder, the horn is used to treat various conditions like epilepsy, fevers, and cancer. However, no scientific evidence suggests these horns have any medicinal value.
Instead, poachers use guns and tranquilizer darts to incapacitate rhinos before removing the horn at its base with chainsaws. This creates an open wound that, combined with gunshot injuries, is often lethal for rhinos.
The greater one-horned rhino lost much of its natural habitat during the 20th century, when grasslands were converted into agricultural developments. In the 21st century, the amount of suitable land continues to shrink due to the decreasing quality of the available habitat. Livestock, woodland encroachment, and the invasion of alien plants are changing the shape of the landscape and depleting food sources for Indian rhinos.
Habitat loss results in habitat fragmentation. This happens when human development splits suitable habitat areas into isolated sections, making it difficult or impossible for rhinos to travel from one area to another.
As well as increased competition for food, these fragmented habitats also suffer from reduced genetic diversity. The rhinos living in fragmented habitats have no choice but to mate with each other, which leads to inbreeding or slowed reproduction rates to avoid inbreeding.
Because the current population of greater one-horned rhinos is almost entirely a result of conservation efforts, roughly 2000 of the 3000 wild Indian rhinos live in the protected Kaziranga National Park. This subpopulation may also develop problems with reduced genetic diversity.
Climate change is an increasing threat to the Indian rhinoceros. Unpredictable flooding of the Brahmaputra River in Kaziranga National Park puts these rhinos at risk. As of 2019, at least 21 greater one-horned rhinos have been lost at the park during monsoon floods.
Indian rhinos are grazers, meaning the bulk of their diet is made up of grasses. They have a prehensile lip that allows them to grasp plants and bite accurately. In addition to grasses, greater one-horned rhinos will also eat leaves, branches from shrubs and trees, and various fruits. Because they spend a lot of time near watering holes, Indian rhinos sometimes eat aquatic plants.
Like all rhinos, the Indian rhinoceros is grey in colour. They have thick skin with folds, often near joints, that make their bodies look segmented. They are the largest rhino species and can weigh between 1,800 kilograms to 2,700 kilograms. They stand two meters high at the shoulder, and their body length can reach almost four meters. Unlike the African rhino species, the Indian rhino only has one horn, which can reach up to 60 centimeters in length.
The successful restoration of the Greater one-horned rhino, or Indian rhino, in Manas National Park has been a joint effort between IFAW, local governments, wildlife rescue teams, and partner organisations, which has led to anti-poaching initiatives, community engagement, international policy, and landscape conservation. Led by the Assam Forest Department and the Bodoland Territorial Council, this incredible species recovery initiative works with the local community and civil society. Rhino populations have grown from fewer than 100 to 4,014 in 15 years.
During monsoon season, many rhinos and their calves are displaced and injured due to floods as they search for higher ground. In Kaziranga, India, IFAW works with WTI and the Assam Forest Department to run the IFAW-WTI Center for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation to rescue, rehabilitate, and eventually release injured and orphaned rhino calves back into the wild.
IFAW also works at a policy and advocacy level to reduce the demand for rhino horn products and ensure that markets remain closed, helping to reduce incidents of poaching. We are proud to announce that in 2022, for the first time in 45 years, no greater one-horned rhinos were poached in the Indian state of Assam.
You can help protect the greater one-horned rhino at home by talking with family and friends about the devastation caused by the rhino horn trade. We can only make a difference in the Indian rhino population by changing behaviours and attitudes towards owning and using rhino horns.
The trade for illegal wildlife parts such as rhino horn has now been taken online. Wildlife cybercrime allows buyers and sellers to easily find each other. Help shut down this new trading platform by reporting suspected rhino items to the online platform as part of our cyber spotters program.
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There are two subspecies of white rhino. Southern white rhinos live almost exclusively in the country of South Africa. Northern white rhinos were formerly found in several countries in east and central Africa but are now critically endangered, teetering on the brink of extinction, with less than a handful living in a Kenyan wildlife reserve. Both subspecies inhabit grassland and savannah habitat. You can see southern white rhinos on exhibit at The Maryland Zoo in the African Journey Watering Hole exhibit.
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