46 one-horned rhinos sighted in Dudhwa National Park

Lakhimpur Kheri, March 21 (IANS) In a recent survey, forest officials have sighted as many as 46 one-horned rhinos at the Dudhwa National Park (DNP) in Uttar Pradesh.

The headcount exercise was carried out by forest officials, and experts from Wildlife Institute of India (WII) and Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) from March 15 to 17.

Deputy director of DNP Rengaraju Tamilselvan said: "Among the 46 rhinos, 40 were spotted in the 27 sq.km area of the rhino rehabilitation area-one (RRA-1) in the Sonaripur range and six in the RRA-2 in the Belrayan range.

"Seven teams --five in RRA-1 and two in RRA-2 -- were engaged for the exercise and they patrolled the rhino area on elephant backs to carry out the counting work."

The official, however, said the gender of six rhinos could not be ascertained and added that the WII experts took DNA samples from the rhinos for molecular analysis.

The exercise was carried out by dividing the entire area in grids measuring 5x5 kms.

The DNF deputy director, WII scientist Samrat Mandal, WWF expert Amit Sharma and biologists Vipin Kapoor and Apoorva Gupta led the headcount exercise.

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