Saving India’s wild ‘unicorns’

Saving India’s wild ‘unicorns’

Subject: Environment

Section: Species in news

RhoDIS (Rhino DNA Index System) India programme:

• Initiated by the Veterinary Genetics Laboratory of the University of Pretoria by creating a database using the unique DNA profile of individual rhinos.
• In 2016, the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC), Government of India in partnership with Wildlife Institute of India (WII), the forest departments of Assam, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh, and WWF India launched the RhODIS India programme.
• It is a wildlife forensics tool that was specially developed for investigating wildlife crime cases.
• Aim: To build a DNA database to aid scientific management of the population and combat crimes against the species.

​​How does RhODIS work?

• Wildlife Institute of India houses the RhODIS India laboratory that carries out all the analyses and maintains the DNA database as notified by the Government of India.
• In addition to creating the DNA database from horn, tissue, and blood samples, rhino dung was also used.
• RhODIS uses a DNA indexing system whereby genetic sequences which are created to get a signature unique to each individual rhino.
• In India, the laboratory protocols have been finalized by testing different types of samples like tissue, blood and dung.
• The RhODIS India database now has the DNA profiles of more than 500 individual rhinos and around 400 of these are derived from dung samples collected from all the rhino bearing areas of India.

Ideal habitat for Rhinoes:

• Manas national park is considered an ideal rhino habitat with its alluvial grasslands, semi-evergreen forest and moist and dry deciduous forests, as well as elevation ranging approximately between 50 and 250 metres above mean sea level (AMSL), and the Manas-Beki river system providing a constant source of water.

Crucial steps to ensure the future survival and well-being of the newly established rhino population at Manas:

• Genetic management plans to maintain genetic diversity and prevent inbreeding; sustainable habitat management practices to restore preferred rhino habitats;
• The establishment of a robust disease surveillance system to guard against potential health threats.
• Habitat management

Protected areas considered for Rhino translocation:

• Manas national park (Assam)
• Laokhwa WLS (Assam)
• Burhachapori WLS (Assam)

More about Indian Rhinoceros

• The Indian rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis) is found only in the Brahmaputra valley, parts of North Bengal, and parts of southern Nepal.
• It has a single black horn that can grow up to 60 cm, and a tough, grey-brown hide with skin folds, which gives the animal its characteristic armour-plated look.
• The Indian rhino is listed as vulnerable in the IUCN Red List, it was earlier placed in the endangered category.
• It is listed as a Schedule I animal in the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
• According to the WWF, there are around 3,700 Indian rhinos in the wild today. Assam’s Kaziranga National Park alone has 2,613 animals, according to a census carried out in March 2022. There are more than 250 other rhinos in the Orang, Pobitora, and Manas parks.

Why are Rhinos poached 

• Rhinos have been poached for their horn, which is prized in some cultures.
• Ground rhino horn is used in traditional Chinese medicine to cure a range of ailments, from cancer to hangovers, and also as an aphrodisiac.
• In Vietnam, possessing a rhino horn is considered a status symbol

Indian Rhino Vision 2020

• Launched in 2005, Indian Rhino Vision 2020 is an ambitious effort to attain a wild population of at least 3,000 greater one-horned rhinos spread over seven protected areas in the Indian state of Assam by the year 2020.
• Seven protected areas are Kaziranga, Pobitora, Orang National Park, Manas National Park, Laokhowa wildlife sanctuary, Burachapori wildlife sanctuary and DibruSaikhowa wildlife sanctuary.
• It is a collaborative effort between various organisations, including the International Rhino Foundation, Assam’s Forest Department, Bodoland Territorial Council, World Wide Fund – India, and the US Fish and Wildlife Service.

Manas National Park and Tiger Reserve:

• Manas National Park is a national park, Project Tiger reserve, and an elephant reserve in Assam, India.
• Located in the Himalayan foothills, it borders the Royal Manas National Park in Bhutan.
• The park is known for its rare and endangered endemic wildlife such as the Assam roofed turtle, hispid hare, golden langur and pygmy hog.
• Manas is also famous for its population of wild water buffalo. Because of its exceptional biodiversity, scenery, and variety of habitats, Manas National Park is a biosphere reserve and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• The name of the park originated from the Manas River.
• The Manas river is a major tributary of Brahmaputra River, which passes through the heart of the national park.
• On 21 June 2011, it was removed from the List of World Heritage in Danger and was commended for its efforts in preservation.
• There are two major biomes present in Manas:
  • The grassland biomes: pygmy hog, Indian rhinoceros (re-introduced in 2007 after extinction due to heavy poaching during the Bodo uprising), bengal florican, wild Asian buffalo, etc.
  • The forest biomes: slow loris, capped langur, wild pig, sambar, great hornbill, Malayan giant squirrel or black giant squirrel, Chinese pangolin etc.
• Vegetation:
  • The monsoon forests of Manas lie in the Brahmaputra Valley semi-evergreen forests ecoregion. The combination of Sub-Himalayan Bhabar Terai region with riverine succession leading up to the Himalayan subtropical broadleaf forests makes it one of the richest biodiversity areas in the world.
• The main vegetation types are:
  • Sub-Himalayan light alluvial semi-evergreen forests in the northern parts.
  • East Himalayan mixed moist and dry deciduous forests (the most common type).
  • Low alluvial savanna woodland, and
  • Assam Valley semi-evergreen alluvial grasslands which cover almost 50% of the park.

Source: Mongabay