NEW DELHI: In what is becoming more common in India, an adult male rhino was killed in a battle with another male after the two fought for a female mate in Jaldapara on Tuesday, forest officials confirmed to Bikyamasr.com on Wednesday evening. “The rhino's body was found in the Jaldapara Wildlife Sanctuary on Wednesday and we believe the animal was killed the day before in the fight,” said the official. According to forest department reports, the two male rhinos had battled over the female rhino in the area in an effort to win her favor for mating. The rhino was 40-years-old. “The number of male rhinos has increased in Jaldapara Wildlife Sanctuary in recent years and hence this has become a regular affair over the past few years and therefore we often can see males engaging into infighting over possession of females,” said a senior forest official, adding that at times a male rhino even tries to kill the female to ensure that the other male doesn't get possession. “Such incidents are common in the monsoon, which is considered to be the mating season for the rhinos. Such incidents are common for most of the animals including rhinos and elephants during the monsoons which is the mating season for the animals. In most of the cases one of the males indulged in the fight die. Often the male rhinos also target the females and kill that to ensure that the other male contender does not get the possession over it,” the official said. The department said that 12 such incidents have been reported in the past 6 years. It cited an uneven sex ration creating the problem in the forests of North Bengal where male rhinos become embroiled in feuds over female counterparts, resulting in the death of at least one rhino.
