Shared spaces, shared challenges: Assessing habitat and resource sharing between the Greater One horned Rhinoceros and livestock in Pobitora Wildlife sanctuary, Assam

Abstract

The Greater One-Horned Rhinoceros (GoH rhino) is a keystone species of the alluvial grasslands and riverine forests. Despite conservation successes, its long-term survival is threatened by population fragmentation, habitat degradation, and intense competition for resources with sympatric herbivores. Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary (PWLS), Assam, feature a habitat mosaic embedded within a largely human-dominated landscape, yet supports the highest density of rhinos and a large number of livestock from surrounding villages. This makes it an ideal site to investigate the spatial use and nutritional ecology of the rhino during the dry winter season. The aim is to clarify whether high rhino density pressures force rhinos to utilise habitats non-selectively and how livestock encroachment influences their nutritional status. Spatial distribution patterns at the larger and finer scales, spatial overlaps between species, and the dietary quality of rhinos in relation to environmental variables and livestock pressure were assessed through systematic animal and vegetation surveys and analysis of dung samples for nutritional parameters. Habitat use by rhinos was concentrated in mosaics of tall grassland, wet short grassland, and marshy habitats; these overlapped with those of buffalo but not with those of cattle, even though cattle were dispersed throughout the study area. Habitat selection was shown to reflect a complex trade-off among nutritional quality, physiological requirements, and the energetics involved, even at such high densities. The results also suggest that cattle could be indirectly affecting spatial use, though additional research is needed to confirm this effect.