The legend of Manas- Indian One-horned Rhinos

[Samrat Sarkar]

Very recently, in an investigation in South Africa it has been known that the Black Rhinos eavesdrop on the chirping of the oxpecker birds sitting on their heads or on their backs. The vision of the Rhinos is very weak. They can hardly see when and how an imminent danger (read poacher) will pounce on them. But the birds sitting on their backs can do that very easily and, in that case their voice changes. The Rhinos can decipher the meanings of the slight changes of the voice of the birds and can take precautions beforehand. They move away to some safer places.

In Manas I used to see a Rhino almost every day. He fiercely fought with another male to win the heart of his female mate. During that fight the other male Rhino badly wound from the bottom of its belly to the mid portion of its hind legs. It was a life threatening matter to it. The forest officials tried heart and soul to save the Rhino from dying. They tranquilized it and dressed the wound periodically. As the Rhino recovered to some extent it frequently came back to the camp areas near the fencing.