The greater one-horned rhino – with only a single large horn – lives in northern India and southern Nepal, in floodplain grasslands and adjacent woodland. The majestic animals are grazers. When not grazing on land, they like to immerse themselves in water, where they also graze on aquatic plants.
Greater one-horned rhinos are usually solitary except for females with young. Mothers give birth to one calf every 2 – 3 years. Males maintain loosely-defended territories.
Currently there are more than 3,600 greater one-horned rhinos in the wild in India and Nepal. There are now 645 rhinos in Nepal alone.
The Government of Nepal is committed to conserve this rare animal for now and future generations. As a consequence, Nepal’s rhino population has increased by 45% between the year 2005 and 2015. Habitat loss and fragmentation, increasing encroachment of forest areas, climate change, poaching, and increasing human-wildlife conflict are major challenges for protection of this rare species.
The rhino was captured at Basel Zoo.