Tigers Overpower and Kill Rare Rhino Rajeshwari in Dudhwa Tiger Reserve
In a rare and shocking wildlife incident, a female one-horned rhinoceros, known by the name Rajeshwari, was overpowered and killed by two tigers in the Sonaripur forest range of the Rhino Rehabilitation Enclosure-I within the Dudhwa Tiger Reserve (DTR). The attack is believed to have occurred on Wednesday morning, marking a concerning trend in predator-prey dynamics in this protected area.
Discovery of the Carcass and Ongoing Predation
A forest team made a grim discovery around 7:30 AM on Thursday when they spotted a half-submerged rhino carcass floating in 'Amha Tal'. To their astonishment, one of the two tiger predators was still perched on the herbivore, indicating the recent nature of the attack. This visual underscores the raw and immediate reality of wildlife interactions in the reserve.
Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (Wildlife) of Uttar Pradesh, Anuradha Vemuri, provided insights into the incident. "There has been a rise in the number of cases where tigers have been found attacking rhinos, especially the calves, in DTR over the past year," Vemuri told TOI. "In this case, tigers preyed on the rhino and fed on its soft tissues of the throat area... Pug marks of two tigers were found."
Factors Behind the Attack and Rhino's Vulnerability
Vemuri elaborated on potential reasons for such aggressive behavior, though she noted the cause remains unclear. "The rhino was supposedly 30-years-old. Female rhino's longevity in the wild is normally 35-40 years. So, in this attack, the rhino was too old to defend itself," she explained. Additionally, tiger behavior has evolved over the years due to several environmental pressures.
- Encroachment of human habitats into forest areas
- Increased tourist safaris disrupting natural patterns
- More development works in villages on DTR's outskirts
- Growing tiger population and territorial conflicts
These factors collectively may be driving tigers to target larger prey like rhinos, a shift from their typical hunting patterns.
Official Response and Autopsy Procedures
In response to the incident, forest authorities have initiated a standard operating procedure. H Rajamohan, the field director of DTR, stated, "As part of a standard operating procedure (SOP), a panel of three veterinary officers led by DTR's Dr Mohammad Talah has been set up to conduct the autopsy." This step aims to gather detailed forensic evidence to better understand the attack and inform future conservation strategies.
Context of Rhino Deaths in Dudhwa Tiger Reserve
This tragic event represents the third death of a one-horned rhino in DTR since August of last year, highlighting a worrying pattern. In August, an aggressive male rhinoceros killed a four-year-old male rhino calf. Then, on January 24, the same pachyderm critically injured an eight-month-old female calf, which succumbed to its injuries four days later.
Following this latest incident, the population of greater one-horned rhinos in DTR has now dwindled to 49, according to official data. This decline raises urgent questions about the coexistence of these endangered species within the reserve and the effectiveness of current protection measures.
Conservationists and wildlife experts are calling for enhanced monitoring and intervention to prevent further such attacks, emphasizing the need to balance tiger conservation with the safety of other vulnerable species like the one-horned rhinoceros.
