The rhinoceros is the second biggest animal in India, next only to the elephant. It looks ugly, with its tough skin, stout body and thick, powerful legs.
The rhino has a horn on its snout. It is not really horn or bone, but tufts of hair matted together into a hard substance. The horn grows from the flesh and, if it breaks, another grows in its place. Some people believe that rhino horn has medicinal properties. It is, therefore, in great demand and bought at fabulous prices.
The rhino is herbivorous. It spends long hours grazing in the open fields or in the shallow waters of a pond or a lake. It seldom attacks other animals and they too leave the rhino alone because of its bulk, brute strength and forbidding appearance. Even the tiger keeps out of its way.
The rhino bothers no one and no one bothers it. But it does have an enemy—man.
It is man alone who kills animals not only for food but for pleasure and gain. He has killed so indiscriminately that some animals have ceased to exist and some others are in danger of becoming extinct.
Many steps have, therefore, been taken to protect wildlife. Large tracts of forest land have been declared protected areas. The Kaziranga Wild- life Sanctuary on the south bank of the great Brahmaputra river in Assam is one such. Here there are rhinos, elephants, tigers, deer and a host of other wild animals.
In spite of all the care taken by the forest authori- ties, poachers break the law and catch or kill wild animals for money.
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