6 Dec 09

Railway Track Creates Unexpected Habitat for Rhinos

India’s Bagha-Chitauni rail link has unexpectedly created a swampy new home for a family of rhinos.

Although in the 1990′s, Bihar forest officials fought – and lost – a legal battle to stop the railway track relaying project, today they couldn’t be happier: The obstruction has created 1,000 hectares of swampy rhino habitat.

Bihar chief wildlife warden Bashir Ahmed Khan said via the Times of India that although the relaying of track for the Bagha-Chitauni route has obstructed some rivulets flowing through the Valmiki Tiger Reserve, the situation has now turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

From 2004 onwards some rhinos have started living in the swampy tract of the land which is being observed for the first time. No one had foreseen what is being observed today.

Visiting rhinos decided to stay

The greater one-horned rhinos (Rhinoceros unicornis) who visit the area are from the adjoining Nepal forest, and they usually return to Nepal after a few days. However, one family of rhinos decided to stay.

According to reserve project director J P Gupta, a survey will be undertaken in hopes of establishing the area as a protected zone for rhinos.

A family of three rhinos is living in this area for the last five years and our field officials keep a track on their movement.

If the feasibility report allows us to move ahead, we would prepare a detailed project, which would be sent to the centre, to develop the area for making it more congenial for the rhinos.

Greater one-horned rhinos

Greater one-horned (Indian) rhinos are the most aquatic of the five rhino species. They are strong swimmers and may spend 60% of their day in the water. Greater one-horned rhinos can dive and feed under water, and it is not uncommon to see just their snouts, eyes, and ears above the water.

There are only around 2,800 greater one-horned rhinos surviving today.

Image source: flickr.com/wonker/ / CC BY 2.0

Railway Track Creates Unexpected Habitat for Rhinos by Rhishja Larson originally published December 1, 2009 on EcoWorldly.

Rhishja Cota-Larson

I am the founder of Saving Rhinos LLC, which publishes news and information about the global rhino crisis. Besides writing Rhino Horn is Not Medicine, I am the author of the book Murder, Myths & Medicine, the Editor of Project Pangolin, and a writer for the environmental news blog Planetsave. When I'm not blogging about the illegal wildlife trade, I like to rock out to live music.

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