Greater one-horned rhino (Rhinoceros unicornis) behaviour during high floods at Kaziranga National Park and the Burhachapori Wildlife Sanctuary, Assam, India

Greater one-horned rhinos exhibit distinct behavioral responses to high floods, with adults primarily resting during flood periods, likely as a stress-coping mechanism. In contrast, sub-adults and calves actively swam between highland refuges, even against strong currents, while the lone sub-adult female in Burhachapori Wildlife Sanctuary (BWS) exhibited reduced feeding behavior, possibly contributing to her post-flood death due to starvation. The study suggests that adult rhinos may be more resilient to flooding and better candidates for translocation than sub-adults or mother-calf pairs, offering critical insights for adaptive management of protected areas in flood-prone regions.

Dutta, D. K., Bora, P. J., Sharma, R., Sarmah, A., Sharma, A., Kumar, J., Dekaraja, K., Saikia, R. B., & Halliday, A. (2021). Greater one-horned rhino (Rhinoceros unicornis) behaviour during high floods at Kaziranga National Park and the Burhachapori Wildlife Sanctuary, Assam, India. Pachyderm, 62, 63–73. https://doi.org/10.69649/pachyderm.v62i.447