Unicornis The Great Indian One-Horned Rhinoceros

About this book

Language: English

The Great Indian One-Horned Rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis, Linnaeus), which once roamed across the alluvial plains of mega-rivers such as the Indus, the Ganges and the Brahmaputra, today survives precariously in a few small pockets in Assam, West Bengal and Nepal. One of the oldest extant land mammals, the Indian rhino has become a casualty of the so-called "miraculous" properties associated by superstitious people with its horn, flesh and other organs.

As long as the myth of the aphrodisiac and medicinal value of the rhino horn persists, the animal will never be safe from poaching, which is even now a lucrative business. A concerted effort is thus required to educate people regarding the stupidity of using a commodity that does not have any of the values attributed to it and thus save the animal from possible extinction. This, basically, is the raison d'être of this book and forms its thematic core.

Unicornis: The Great Indian One-Horned Rhinoceros is a comprehensive account of the animal, its past history and present status, generic characteristics, temperament, behaviour and habits as well as its position in the scheme of Nature. Written with the objective of familiarizing the lay reader with this unique animal, the book will also prove to be a source of invaluable information for zoologists and naturalists.

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