Alipurduar, West Bengal: A female one-horned rhinoceros died after apparently being chased by a male rhino while trying to protect her calf, in a tragic incident near Kunjannagar in Falakata block on Tuesday morning.
The adult rhino entered the residential compound of a retired schoolteacher in Sinhapara, about 1 km from Jaldapara National Park, at around 6.30am. Frightened residents alerted the Forest Department as the agitated animal damaged household property, including sewing machines, tube wells, a bed and toilet doors.
The rhino then broke through a brick wall and entered a neighbouring property before falling into a bamboo thicket. She died within minutes. Forest officials recovered the carcass and suspected that she may have suffered cardiac arrest during the chase or a severe head injury when she broke through the wall. The exact cause will be established through post-mortem examination.
Calf left exhausted and dehydrated
The rhino’s young calf had taken shelter in a nearby bush and was subsequently found exhausted and dehydrated. With its mother dead, forest officials are now keeping a close watch on the vulnerable calf.
To protect it from any approaching male rhino, the Forest Department brought two trained “kunki” elephants from Jaldapara to the area. The elephants will help keep potentially aggressive rhinos away from the calf.
Officials have decided not to tranquilise the calf at present, considering its young age and weakened condition. Veterinarians will assess its condition before authorities decide whether it can eventually be released into the wild or needs to be moved to a rehabilitation centre.
A rare death linked to prolonged stress
Forest officials described the incident as unusual. They noted that prolonged chases have occasionally been associated with cardiac stress and deaths in other large herbivores such as gaur, but such a case involving a rhino is considered rare.
The incident also highlights the risks faced by rhino mothers and calves when confronted by adult males. For the orphaned calf, the immediate priority is survival without its mother—a challenge forest teams are now working to overcome.
The Forest Department’s next challenge will be to keep the calf safe, stabilise its health and determine the most appropriate course for its future.
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