Rhino found dead in Dudhwa; all parts intact, poaching ruled out

A male rhino has been found dead with a deep injury in his abdomen in the rehabilitation area of Dudhwa Tiger Reserve (DTR) here, an official said on Saturday. "The carcass was recovered by a DTR patrolling team inside the fenced rhino area at Kakraha Tal in South Sonaripur range of the reserve on Friday," DTR Field Director Ramesh Kumar Pandey said.

The rhino, said to be around 15 years old, was identified as Bhimsen through its unique ID, he added. "The deceased rhino had a deep injury in its abdominal area, while all its body parts of were found intact," Pandey said.

The injury could have been the result of a fight between rhinos, he added. Rhinos sometimes indulge in violent fights, resulting from "territorial conflict" or "mating conflict", the field director said.

A panel of three veterinarians has been formed to conduct a post mortem and ascertain the exact cause of the rhino's death, Pandey said. The Dudhwa Tiger Reserve has a big population of one-horned rhinos, especially in its specially developed rhino rehabilitation areas (RRA) at Kakraha Tal in south Sonaripur range and another recently developed at Bhadi Tal in Belrayan range.

Prior to Bhimsen's death, both areas housed a total of 33 rhinos. The rhino rehabilitation programme at the reserve was launched in 1984 with five rhinos from Assam and later from Nepal.