Asian rhinos Rhinoceros unicornis on the run? Impact of tourist visits on one population Original Research Article

We evaluated the impact of tourist visits on Asian rhinos Rhonoceros unicornis in Chitwan National Park, Nepal, by comparing the rhinoʹs behavior during and after elephant-borne tourist visits to their behavior before visits. During the visits, the rhinos spent more time on alert and less time feeding. Close approaches (especially those under 10 m) were more disruptive, and frequently displaced the rhinos from the meadows where they preferred to feed. Visits were short (20·7 min average) and rhinos that were not driven out re-established their pre-visit pattern of behavior within 14 min of the touristsʹ departure. Moreover, these rhinosʹ home ranges overlapped extensively and individuals ranged widely so that each individualʹs encounters with tourists were usually several days apart. Eliminating close approaches would make these tourist visits relatively benign. However, this finding cannot necessarily be extended to other populations that might have different social systems.