UP to get 2 new rhino habitats soon
Dudhwa Tiger Reserve (DTR), currently home to all 51 of UP's one-horned rhinos, will oversee the project's implementation.
The two sites were selected after audits conducted at Katarniaghat (July-Sept 2023) and PTR (March 2025) by a committee led by BS Bonal, former additional director general of the National Tiger Conservation Authority.
DTR field director H Rajamohan said, "The key features of the two proposed rhino habitats will be finalised in an upcoming meeting of the 'Rhino Core Group' at Dudhwa."
Additionally, three more sanctuaries, Sohagi Barwa (Maharajganj), Kishanpur (Lakhimpur Kheri) and Suhelwa (Shravasti, Gonda, and Balrampur), have been identified as potential sites under a long-term plan for rhino conservation during 2022–23 to 2030–31.
Currently, DTR houses its rhinos in two enclosures -- RR1 and RR2 -- covering 40.4 sq km. In a pilot project to reduce inbreeding, one male and three female rhinos were released into the wild in two phases between Dec and March.
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The goal is to increase genetic diversity by enabling mating with rhinos from Nepal that migrate across the border seasonally, Rajamohan said.
On the preparatory work underway, he said, "Simultaneous efforts include research on rhino genetics and diversity, strengthening surveillance, improving grassland management, periodic medical exams, and continuous monitoring of the four free-ranging rhinos."
The project will also fund the introduction of the Rhino DNA Indexing System (RhODIS) -- a first for DTR.
RhODIS creates a genetic fingerprint of each rhino from horn, tissue or blood samples, aiding in tracking and protection. It was developed in 2010 by University of Pretoria's Genetics Laboratory and adopted in India in 2016 through a collaboration among Wildlife Institute of India (WII), WWF-India and forest departments in Assam, UP and West Bengal.
"RhODIS will improve surveillance and help crack down on poaching by linking seized rhino parts to specific individuals," said Manoj Kumar, joint director at Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB).
"Between 2008 and 2018, 102 rhinos were poached in India and 209 suspects arrested, but only 20 were convicted between 2011 and 2017. RhODIS can help change that."
Rajamohan added that part of the funds will go toward studying behavioural patterns of the newly released rhinos, which currently tend to return to dense canopy areas at night, a habit not typically observed in wild rhinos that prefer open grasslands and marshes.
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