EPOW - Ecology Picture of the Week

Greater One-horned Rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis)
Dudhwa National Park and Tiger Reserve, Uttar Pradesh, India

Explanation:  Staring us down is the "unicorn" of India ... the Greater One-horned Rhinoceros (also called the Great Indian One-horned Rhinoceros) known by its scientific name of Rhinoceros unicornis.  Could this be the unicorn of ancient myth?  

We have approached this wary ungulate from elephant-back, here in the dense northern Indian woodlands of the terai, the wet grasslands found along the base of the Himalayas.  The Greater One-horned Rhinoceros is one of five rhino species in the world (two African, three Asian). 

Close encounter of the rhino kind, in dense mixed 
woodland of sal (Shoria robusta).
 

Formerly widespread, it is now highly endangered with maybe only 1,750 remaining in the world in isolated pockets.  This one is part of a tiny population that had been reintroduced to a national park in northern India after having been extirpated for decades. 

Here is a paleorelic of 5 million years' evolution.  And its family (Rhinocerotidae) diverged from its closest familial ancestor, the horses (Equidae), some 50 million years ago.

This species is usually solitary and doesn't like to be approached.  It will charge and either bluff, or it will attack not by goring with its horn but rather by biting with its deadly teeth.  

Unfortunately, most individuals had been killed for its horn which has had greater value than gold per unit weight, and for its skin and body parts -- including its blood and even urine -- used for medicinal and ritual purposes.  

One source (Prather 1971) noted that:

High caste Hindus and most Gurkhas offer libation of the animal's blood after entering its disemboweled body.  On ordinary Sraddh days the libation of water and milk is poured from a cup carved from its horn.  The urine is considered antiseptic and is hung in a vessel at the principal door as a charm against ghosts, evil spirits, and diseases.  These beliefs connected with the rhinoceros are prevalent in varying forms in Burma, Siam, and China.  

Another source (Thakur 1989) noted that rhino horns are important items for illegal export from India, because the horn assumedly has a number of valuable properties:

A cup like structure made out of its horn would split if poison was added to contents served in it.  Another alleged property is that a horn placed under the bed of a woman at the time of child birth would assist her in her labour... It is highly desired by eastern Asia, especially Chinese due to its aphrodisiac value.  The Rhino's horn, tail hairs, hooves and bones are used as charms, medicines and rejuvenator.  Flesh is sold as invigorating tonic, urine is used for the cure of rheumatic gout and skin disease, and blood is offered in religious ceremonies...

Needless to say, many of these supposed properties of rhino parts are likely apocryphal, and we do not condone illegal killing and selling of any animal parts.  But as long as the stories are believed by some, the economic value remains and conservation of the species must entail continued protection and diligence.  

In fact, it is the respect given to the "unicorn of India" by people of all religions and backgrounds that has served to protect it and rescue it from extinction.  For example, the Hindu belief teaches non-violence and compassion and kindness towards all living creature.  Whether the quote above from Prather (1971) represents historic fact or a dubious story remains unverified.  

Typical view of a Greater One-horned Rhinoceros
in the dense "elephant grass" of the terai.
This is a female with a calf nearby ... best to
keep at a distance, even on elephant back,
for she will charge.

References:
   Dinerstein, E. 2003. The return of the unicorns: the natural history and conservation of the greater one-horned rhinoceros. Columbia University Press, New York. 316 pp.
   Laurie, W. A. 1982. Behavioural ecology of the greater one-horned rhinoceros Rhinoceros unicornis. Journal of Zoology 196:307-341.
   Menon, V. 2003. A field guide to Indian mammals. DK Delhi, London. 201 pp.
   Prater, S. H. 1971. The book of Indian animals. Oxford University Press, Bombay. 324 pp.
   Sinha, S. P., V. B. Sawarkar, and S. K. Mukherjee. 1995. Bibliography of Indian one-horned rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis). Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, India.
   Thakur, R. K. 1989. Wildlife trade. Pp. 563-567 in: T. C. Mujapuria, ed. Wildlife wealth of India. Tec Press Service, L.P., Bangkok, Thailand. 667 pp.

Acknowledgment:
    My thanks to EPOW reader Dr. Ranga Nathan for pointing out the respect given to wildlife and all life by Hindus, a perspective we share and wish to suggest to all.