Large Animals in India
Posted by adminBig beasts
The one-horned Indian rhinoceros keeps mainly to the northeastern woods around Kaziranga in Assam, though a number have been reintroduced to Dudhwa park in Uttar Pradesh, nudging India’s total of rhinos to around 1,700. They stand about 1.6 metres (5.5 ft) at the shoulder and weigh around 1,820 kg (4,000 lbs). Adult males are larger than females, with horns that are usually thicker at the base and often broken or split at the tip (the horn of the female is usually slender and unbroken). Adult females may also be accompanied by calves.
Floodplain grassland interspersed with marsh, swamp and lake, and the adjoining riverine forest, are their favored habitat. Rhinos prefer to feed on short grasses and seek shelter in thick stands of tall grass, sometimes 6-8 metres (20-25 ft) high.
Elephants make large demands on their environment; an adult animal consumes something like 200 kg (450 lbs) of green fodder a day, probably wasting an equal amount in the process. The elephant has few natural enemies, calves are jealously guarded by their mothers and tigers seldom have the opportunity to take them. The elephant, therefore, is an apex species and an excellent indicator of the health of their habitat. A habitat that is good for the elephant is also good for its associate species, such as the sambar deer, spotted deer and barking deer, which in their turn - as prey species - support predators like the tiger or the leopard.
Rhinos are usually viewed from elephant back. These mounts are domestic elephants. Wild tuskers found in the jungles are feared, with good reason. Some may roam close to villages, developing a taste for alcohol after drinking the contents of a still. Others stampede through villages, mowing down everything in their path - usually after being provoked by villagers defending their crops. Yet spying a herd of wild elephants tearing calmly through the shrubbery is a definite thrill. Such enormous beasts can move with surprising silence.
There are an estimated 9,000 wild elephants in India, with thousands more working at temples, logging camps, game parks, or hired out for weddings. Periyar, in Kerala, is the best place to view elephants in the wild. Parks in West Bengal and Assam are also good bets.
Game tourism
Indian game viewing began on a grand scale in the 1950s, and even today the arrangements sometimes resemble gentlemen’s shooting parties of that era. Creature comforts are not ignored in the wild, and some tents are quite luxurious, though many forest houses are rustic, and safari suits are now worn mostly by chauffeurs for the middle class.
Wild animal-watching in India takes patience. Many of the most spectacular beasts hide in the shadows, lone predators waiting for their opportunity. Game reserves are not easily accessible (except for Ranthambore in Rajasthan, near a railway connection). A few parks require special permits in advance, usually for a minimum group of four. In the north east, where shy pandas and macaques hide, militants and Adivasis often do, too. The government limits visits near strategic borders or guerrilla areas. It is always wise to check before setting out, since situations change without warning. At any sanctuary, dress in sensible camouflage and keep quiet; the creatures are easily frightened. Yet with almost 350 species of mammal, a couple of thousand types of bird, and at least 30,000 kinds of insect (more than you want to know personally), India provides an unmatched range that justifies several trips.
