Female Rhino Attacked And Killed By Males For Refusing To Mate
A female rhino was killed by two male rhinos who attacked her following her refusal to mate with either of them. The unfortunate incident occurred at the Jaldapara National Park in the Indian state of West Bengal. The state is very well known for its large population of one-horned rhinos. According to news reports, the female had apparently lost her calf just a few days before the attack and was wandering across a part of the park when the two bulls attempted to run her off their territory.
Forced mating
As they sought to impose their will on the female, the two males attempted to force her into mating, however she rejected their advances which resulted in the attack said a senior park official. The official said the dead rhino was a sub-adult aged between five or six years old and suffered fatal injuries as the dominant male rhinos overpowered her for mating. Rhinos have teeth that are both incredibly strong and sharp and often attack females if their sexual advances are rejected.
Attack more about food than sex
A ranger that was apparently at the scene of the incident attempted to stop the attack by firing his rifle into the air, however that attempt failed. Experts reckon that the attack was more about the female looking for food in the territory of the males rather than her rejecting their advances. These kind of attacks are common during the summer when food if more difficult to come by. More often than not however, the weaker animal will attempt to escape rather than continue to fight.
Rhino is endangered
The Indian rhino can be found in a few parts of the North of India and Nepal. It is now an endangered species because it has been rampantly poached for its horn. Chinese and Vietnamese traditional medicine uses the horn to treat a variety of ailments. During the early 2000’s the popularity of rhino horn powder fell, however by 2008 its popularity began to rise again after rumours began to spread that the powder had the ability to cure cancer. At present, there are roughly 2000 Indian rhinos left in the wild.
