Page 74 - World of Animals - Issue #29

Explore the Earth

Butt heads with

the endangered

Indian rhinoceros

Distinguished from its African cousins by its
small, single horn, the Indian rhinoceros was
once widespread across the Indo-China region,
but was almost hunted to extinction in the 1970s
by poachers who coveted its horn for use in
traditional Chinese medicine.
Fortunately, conservation efforts in northeast
India have been successful and the number of
wild rhinos has rebounded to around 3,000, most
of which are found in the protected marshlands
of Kaziranga National Park. Here, these usually
solitary mammals congregate in the midday heat
to cool off in the lakes.
Bird lovers heading on a rhino safari should also
keep their eyes peeled for egrets, oxpeckers and
mynas, who like to feed on horse flies and other
insects on the rhino’s skin.

Sail the wildlife-

rich waters of the

world’s largest

mangrove forest

Beginning in the southwest corner of West
Bengal and extending well into neighbouring
Bangladesh, the mist-shrouded Sundarban
(Bengali for ‘beautiful forest’) region is a wild,
untamed oasis of swampland located in the
middle of one of the most densely populated
areas on the planet.
The best way to explore its winding waterways
is, of course, by boat. The 300 Bengal tigers
prowling the area are the feature attraction,
and your best chance of spotting one is to visit
between November and February, where they
can be seen sunbathing on the river banks. But
there is plenty else to look out for as you float
along, from macaque monkeys and chital to
estuarine crocodiles and 250 species of bird.

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