Bihar preparing 'reintroduction of Rhinos scheme' in Valmiki Tiger Reserve

Bihar will get its rhino herd back in the wild with reintroduction of the terrestrial mammals in the Valmiki Tiger Reserve in West Champaran district, where the state's sole wild rhinoceros now resides.

The VTR has been selected as one of the potential sites under the National Rhino Conservation Strategy where rhinos may possibly be brought from Assam sometime next year, according to sources.

A committee was set up to assess the habitat and security conditions in VTR and to suggest measures for reintroduction of Rhinos in the reserve, about two years back.

"The committee in its meeting held on Friday, discussed its draft report at length. The final report of the committee will be submitted to the state government by the end of January, 2023. After that the process of the reintroduction of Rhinos scheme in VTR will start on the basis of the recommendations of the Task Force," Chief Wildlife Warden of Bihar, P K Gupta told PTI.

Gupta who attended the virtual meeting of the committee on Friday said the potentially identified areas for the reintroduction scheme in VTR are -Ganauli and Madanpur.

"At present, there is only one rhino in the VTR. However, we have 13 rhinos in Patna Zoo also. After reintroduction of this scheme, the number of rhinos will significantly increase in the VTR as it happened in Dudhwa Tiger Reserve in Uttar Pradesh", Gupta told PTI.

Approximately 75 per cent of the entire world population of one-horned rhinoceros is in India and more than 93 per cent of the Indian Rhino population lives in just one protected area in Assam- the Kaziranga National Park, he added.

As per the plan rhinos will be taken out of crowded habitats and shifted to identified areas in the VTR, said Gupta, adding the objective is to provide more room for the rhinos to breed and multiply.

The goal is also to reduce risks to the rhino population by ensuring that the animals are spread throughout multiple parks with enough habitats to encourage population growth. There was a time when rhinos were found in the forest areas of West Champaran, Purnea and Patna districts in Bihar, he said.

The VTR occupies a core area of 909.86 sq km of the Valmiki Sanctuary located in the West Champaran district of Bihar. The VTR was established as the 18th tiger reserve in 1990 and ranked fourth in the density of the tiger population. The rivers Gandak and Masan flow through this area.