I feared going to Assam because of the insurgency problem but it was on the insistence of my friend from Assam that I paid my visit to this beautiful land. My friend escorted me to Kaziranga National Park to have a meeting with great Indian Rhino. I am thankful to him because it is his assurance and assistance that paved the way for encounter with Indian Rhino.

The Indian Rhino is a brownish-gray, hairless mammal. Unlike the African rhino, the Indian rhino has one horn. The loose folds in its skin make it look armoured. The female Indian rhino weighs about 1600kg while the male weighs approximately 2200kg. The usual life span of Indian Rhino is 35 to 40 years.

Careless poaching has left Indian rhino on the brink of extinction. Today, the rhino is found only in Assam, Western Terai in Uttar Pradesh and southern Nepal.

Rhinos can be spotted in marshy lowland and reedbeds, occasional streams and swamps and thick tree and scrub riverine forests. Indian rhinos are grazers, feeding on grass, fruit, leaves, reeds, twigs and crops.

The Kaziranga National Park in Assam is the major rhino refuge in the country today. It attempts to replicate the natural habitat of the Indian rhino for its growth and survival. One interesting thing that I noticed about rhinos is that they feed mostly during mornings and evenings.