India: Male Rhinos Kill Female Rhino For Refusing To Mate With Them
Two male rhinos have reportedly killed a female rhino in north eastern India after she refused to mate with them. According to Yahoo News, the incident happened at the Jaldapara National Park, located in the West Bengal state of India. The two bull rhinos were trying to mate with the 6-year-old female for the past few days. However, she was in no mood to let them have their way. The confrontation seems to have resulted in the eventual death of the female rhino.
According to a senior park ranger, the two male rhinos attacked the female and gored her with their sharp horns, killing her. The smaller female was no match for the bulkier, more massive male rhinos. In an interview with Indian newspaper the Hindustan Times, the official said the following.
“The dead rhino, which was hardly five or six year old sub-adult had suffered injuries as dominant male rhinos overpowered her for mating. Rhinos have sharp and strong teeth, and they often attack female if they are denied mating.”
He also added that park official had made several attempts to break up the attack. Officials reportedly fired their rifle in the air to scare the animals away. However, that did not have any significant effect on the two male rhinos.
playin’ a rhino out bein choosy
Jilted male rhinos gore female to death for refusing to mate w/ them https://t.co/IOIKywBjUb via @IBTimesUK— altair (@Altair1189) June 12, 2016
Meanwhile, experts are divided over the cause of the attack. There is a section of animal behaviorists who believe that the attack was the result of a territorial dispute. According to them, the two males could have been angered by the female, which might have entered their territory for foraging. In summer, when food and water is difficult to come by, animals are known to fight over territory. Most weaker animals are, however, known to escape for safety rather than put up a fight when confronted by stronger animals. In this case, the actual circumstances remain shrouded in mystery. India has had a long dry season and the monsoons are just advancing. There is a likelihood that this theory could also turn out to be true.
The state of West Bengal is known for its small population of the Indian Rhinoceros, which, like its African counterparts, happens to be an endangered species. The scientific name of the Indian Rhinoceros is Rhinoceros unicornis. The Indian rhino is only found in north eastern India and certain parts of Nepal. They can be easily distinguished from their African brethren by their thick grey-brown skin with pinkish skin folds and a black horn. Also, unlike the African species, the Indian rhino has a single horn. The Indian rhino is among the largest land animals to live in Asia — second in size only to the Asian elephant. They are almost the same size of their African brethren, the White Rhinoceros. The average Indian male rhinoceros measure over 12.47 feet in length and stand 170–186 cm (5.58–6.10 ft) tall. Females are slightly smaller with an average length of 10.2–11.2 feet and a shoulder height of 148–173 cm (4.86–5.68 ft). As for weights, the larger male averages around 2,200 kg (4,900 lb) as opposed to females that average 1,600 kg (3,500 lb). The largest known male specimens are known to weigh more than 4,000 kg (8,800lb)!
The Indian Rhinoceros was almost hunted to extinction because of poaching. However, following anti-poaching activities, their population is gradually on the rise in India and Nepal. The animals once lived across northern India, but excessive poaching has reduced their presence to a few pockets in north-eastern India. As of 2015, there are an estimated 3,555 Indian rhinos left in the wild.
[Image By Yathin S Krishnappa – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0 / Wikimedia Commons]
