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The rhinoceros is a unique animal in the eco-system. But a
reputation built up for centuries around its horn as an aphrodisiac
is also proving to be its undoing, says Ranjita Biswas
It was too good to be true, or last. The
lull in the poaching of the one-horned rhinoceros at the Kaziranga
National Park , a World Heritage site, in the last few years
had made conservationists and wildlife enthusiasts heave a
sigh of relief. That is, until recently when six rhinos were
poached between March and April alone. Arguably one of the
best preservation efforts in the country with about 2,000
rhinos presently which was a mere 366 in 1966, the poaching
has shocked environmentalists like Bittu Sehgal who agonised
volubly over the disaster on a news channel recently. Sehgal,
together with Ranjit Barthakur, has authored an extremely
informative book The Kaziranga Inheritance.
Moreover, there is a sinister twist to the latest poaching
incidents. Intelligence sources reveal that these poachers
are being sponsored by Islamic militant elements affiliated
to al-Qaida in Bangladesh. The hub of the trafficking racket
is apparently Siliguri which well-connected with the international
smuggling routes. In 1995 a syndicate trading in rhino horn
was busted up here and it was found to have members in China,
Taiwan and Tibet.
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Rhino body parts, particularly the horn,
bring huge profits in the international market, particularly
eastern Asia , due to the myth about its aphrodisiac qualities.
According to P. C. Bhattacharjee of Gauhati University , and
a Trustee of Wildlife Trust of India, “The body parts
of rhinoceros are still in great demand and there could be
involvement of international poaching gangs. After authorities
in Nepal tightened its security to stop the massive killings
of rhinoceros from their famed Royal parks, it appeared the
pressure might have shifted towards Assam .” The Kaziranga
sanctuary holds three-quarters of the global stock of this
rare animal. It is protected under CITES (Convention for International
Trade in Endangered Species for Flora and Fauna). Well worth
remembering is that when the British declared Kaziranga a
game sanctuary in 1916, there were hardly 20 rhinos left here.
The greed is fuelled by disproportionately
large sum of money doled out for the horn. According to “Endangered
Species Handbook” website, in Asia rhino horn sells for
an average of $15,000 per kilogram, with higher prices paid
for horn of Asian species, an estimated $40,000 per kilogram.
The penis also sells for huge sums. Profits from the trade
runs from $15bn to an astounding $25bn a year according to
World Wide Fund for Nature.
The horn’s demand is sustained by its
use in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Chinese emperors
with their harems of concubines were said to have patronised
the medicine greatly. Yet, researchers reveal that TCM, in
fact , prescribed it only for life-threatening fevers and
convulsions. Nonetheless, its name as an energiser has survived
centuries of myth-making and even into modern times despite
international campaigns to negate these ideas so that the
demand wanes and the unique animal escapes annihilation from
the eco-system.
It is interesting to note that even in old beliefs in the
Brahmaputra Valley the armour plated Gorh, local name for
rhino, was a fabled animal for various reasons. Perhaps because
the unusual projection resembles the linga or phallus, common
beliefs centered around its prowess as an ancient Viagra.
Moreover, copulation period of the rhino is much longer compared
to other animals. In medieval royal families of Assam and
neighbouring countries, cups made of rhino horn was in great
demand as it was attributed with venom absorbing qualities.
Rhino horn rings were also worn by childless couples (perhaps
to enhance fertility). It was also prescribed for, surprisingly,
lunatics. In Assamese villages water drunk from a horn was
thought to be the 'elixir of life' and especially beneficial
to pregnant women. In Nepal consuming the rhino’s urine
is supposed to cure diseases like asthma. In Yemen and Oman
the horn is carved with intricate designs for dagger handles
to supposedly lend power and strength to the owner. Taiwan
also is great consumer of the horn powder, experts say. The
Indian rhino’s horn is more in demand than the one of
African two-horned black rhino, according to K. K. Baruah,
former principal forest conservator, Assam .
However, it is not only in Asia that the
rhinoceros had acquired a reputation for virility. It is often
associated with the mythical unicorn, an animal with a horn,
that cropped up in many references in ancient Europe and Middle
East . The earliest reference is found in the pictorial art
of Mesopotamia .
The word “rhino” (Rhinoceros unicornis)
is derived from the eponymous Greek word meaning nose and
keras, meaning horn: so, "horn-nosed". The plural
can be either rhinoceros or rhinoceroses. The horn is nothing
but a compact mass of agglutinated hair.
The first mention of the therapeutic properties of unicorn’s
horn is thought to have been by Ctesias, a Greek physician
from Cnidus , in the fifth century BC. He believed the unicorn
was an Indian wild ass that had a horn growing from its forehead.
Drinking cups made from this horn could neutralise poison
and afford protection against convulsions and epilepsy. In
the middle ages it was used to cure plague, fevers and bites
from serpents and mad dogs. It was even said that poisoned
wounds could be cured merely by holding a piece of the horn
close to them.
At one time the Indo-Gangetic plain had thousands
of the one-horned rhino roaming around. A 3000 B.C seal belonging
to the pre-Aryan Mohenjodaro civilization shows a rhino inscribed
on it. Even in Indian mythology, it is projected as a powerful
animal fit to carry on its back the supreme God, Vishnu.
The rhino remained common in the Indian subcontinent
until about 1600 but in the next three centuries it disappeared
from these regions. The main reason for this was the loss
of plain grasslands to agricultural development, which destroyed
the rhino's prime habitat, led to conflicts with human interests.
Then there was the sport hunting by both Europeans and Asians
in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
In modern times, the hunters have become cleverer using sophisticated
arms, even telescopic rifles to be fired long distance with
special armour-piercing ammunition and with silencers too
so that the forest guards are not alerted by the noise. The
number of guards, dedicated though, are woefully few in number
to effectively keep vigil on the four sections of the 450
sq. km Kaziranga Park : Bagori, Kohora, Agatoli and Burapahar.
The criminals even use electric wires connected to high-tension
cables to immobolise the animal. Sometimes they cut off the
horn even before it is dead. The poachers can easily approach
from the sandbanks of the wide Brahmaputra river. The terrain,
a little distance from the foothills of the Himalayas with
deep jungles and international borders like Nepal , Myanmar
etc makes it an easy getaway for the criminals.
Sometimes, a fine reputation does more
harm than good. The rhino’s prowess as powerful animal
is a case in point.
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