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The Rhinoceros of South Asia
Series: - Emergence of Natural History, Volume: 6
Author:
The rhinoceros is an iconic animal. Three species once inhabited South Asia, two of which disappeared over a century ago. This survey aims to reconstruct the historical distribution of these large mammals resulting in new maps showing the extent of their occurrences. Thousands of sources varied in time and nature are used to study the interactions between man and rhinoceros. The text is supported by over 700 illustrations and 38 maps showing the importance of the rhinoceros in the scientific and cultural fabric of Asia and beyond.
This book has been nominated for the SHNH Natural History Book Prize (John Thackray Medal), awarded for the best book published on the history or bibliography of natural history.
This book has been nominated for the SHNH Natural History Book Prize (John Thackray Medal), awarded for the best book published on the history or bibliography of natural history.
Leendert Cornelis (Kees) Rookmaaker, Ph.D., University of Utrecht (1989), is a retired historian of zoology. His various interests are expressed in over 260 publications, including 12 books like The Zoological Exploration of Southern Africa (1989), François Levaillant and the Birds of Africa (2004), and The Rhinoceros in Captivity (1998). He is the editor of the comprehensive online Rhino Resource Center.
"Eloquently written with a wealth of absorbing detail about Asian rhinos [...], and outstanding illustrations, this is a magnificent encyclopedic publication.
[...] This book is a labour of love, and combines academic precision with a clear writing style, presenting many absorbing anecdotes and stories.
[...] I cannot recommend Rookmaaker’s new book highly enough, for rhino researchers, those interested in art and history, and of course conservation, in South Asia, and indeed all enthusiasts wishing to increase their knowledge about the three ancient rhino species of Asia." – Lucy Vigne, in: Pachyderm, Volume 65 (2024), pp. 193-199
"Packed with information and abundantly illustrated, The rhinoceros of South Asia is the new standard reference on the history of three species of rhinoceros known from South Asia [...].
The rhinoceros of South Asia is not a traditional natural history of the three rhinoceros species that inhabited the region. Rather, it is a rich and complex account of the changing relationship between rhinoceroses and people seen through the perspectives of history, different cultures and the increasing rarity and extirpation of at least two species." – Andrew C. Kitchener, in: Archives of Natural History, Volume 52, Issue 1 (April 2025), pp. 223-224
"It is often said that ‘the devil is in the detail’. Allow me to take the liberty of turning this around: in the case of this work, God is in the detail.
[...] The reviewer, a historian of animals for the past three decades, finds this book to be the most comprehensive and instructive account ever written on the three species of rhinos and the reviewer can say with confidence that it shall remain the definitive source." – Divyabhanusinh, in: Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society, Volume 122, Issue 3 (Sep.-Dec. 2025)
[...] This book is a labour of love, and combines academic precision with a clear writing style, presenting many absorbing anecdotes and stories.
[...] I cannot recommend Rookmaaker’s new book highly enough, for rhino researchers, those interested in art and history, and of course conservation, in South Asia, and indeed all enthusiasts wishing to increase their knowledge about the three ancient rhino species of Asia." – Lucy Vigne, in: Pachyderm, Volume 65 (2024), pp. 193-199
"Packed with information and abundantly illustrated, The rhinoceros of South Asia is the new standard reference on the history of three species of rhinoceros known from South Asia [...].
The rhinoceros of South Asia is not a traditional natural history of the three rhinoceros species that inhabited the region. Rather, it is a rich and complex account of the changing relationship between rhinoceroses and people seen through the perspectives of history, different cultures and the increasing rarity and extirpation of at least two species." – Andrew C. Kitchener, in: Archives of Natural History, Volume 52, Issue 1 (April 2025), pp. 223-224
"It is often said that ‘the devil is in the detail’. Allow me to take the liberty of turning this around: in the case of this work, God is in the detail.
[...] The reviewer, a historian of animals for the past three decades, finds this book to be the most comprehensive and instructive account ever written on the three species of rhinos and the reviewer can say with confidence that it shall remain the definitive source." – Divyabhanusinh, in: Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society, Volume 122, Issue 3 (Sep.-Dec. 2025)
Dedication
Sponsors and Subscribers
Table of Contents
List of Illustrations
Acknowledgements
List of Abbreviations
List of Acronyms
1 Introduction
2 Reading rhinos through the lens of human-animal studies – by Kelly Enright
Section 1. THE GREATER ONE-HORNED RHINOCEROS Rhinoceros unicornis IN SOUTH ASIA
3 The Indian or Greater One-Horned Rhinoceros Rhinoceros unicornis
4 Taxonomy and nomenclature of Rhinoceros unicornis in South Asia
5 The Greater One-Horned Rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis) in captivity in South Asia
6 Records of the rhinoceros in captivity in independent Oudh
7 Records of the rhinoceros in captivity in Baroda
8 The discovery of the fossil record of rhinoceros in South Asia
9 The rhinoceros in the rock art of Central India
10 Historical records of the rhinoceros in Harappan settlements
11 The rhinoceros in the arts and science of the Mughal period
12 Exporting the rhinoceros of India to East and West
13 Historical records of the rhinoceros in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Punjab
14 Historical records of the rhinoceros in Gujarat
15 A pictorial survey of the rhinoceros in the art of Rajasthan – by Joachim K. Bautze
16 Historical records of the rhinoceros in Madhya Pradesh
17 Historical records of the rhinoceros from Himachal Pradesh to Uttarakhand
18 Historical records of the rhinoceros in Uttar Pradesh
19 Protecting the rhinoceros in Dudhwa National Park, Uttar Pradesh
20 The rhinoceros in Nepal
21 Historical records of the rhinoceros in Western Nepal
22 Protecting the rhinoceros in Shuklaphanta National Park, Nepal
23 Protecting the rhinoceros in Bardia National Park, Nepal
24 Historical records of the rhinoceros in Central Nepal
25 Encounters with the rhinoceros by the British Royal Family in Nepal
26 Protecting the rhinoceros in Chitwan National Park, Nepal
27 Historical records of the rhinoceros in Eastern Nepal
28 Historical records of the rhinoceros in Bihar
29 Historical records of the rhinoceros in Rajmahal Hills, Jharkhand
30 Historical records of the rhinoceros in Middle West Bengal and Western Bangladesh
31 Historical records of the rhinoceros in North Bengal
32 The hunting camps of the Maharaja of Cooch Behar
33 Protecting the rhinoceros in Gorumara National Park, West Bengal
34 Protecting the rhinoceros in Jaldapara National Park, West Bengal
35 Historical records of the rhinoceros in Bhutan
36 Historical records of the rhinoceros in western Arunachal Pradesh
37 Historical records of the rhinoceros in Meghalaya
38 Historical records of the rhinoceros in Assam
39 Shooting records of General Fitzwilliam Pollok in Assam
40 Protecting the rhinoceros in Manas National Park, Assam
41 The rhinoceros in Sonai Rupai Wildlife Sanctuary, Assam
42 Protecting the rhinoceros in Orang National Park, Assam
43 Protecting the rhinoceros in Pabitora Wildlife Sanctuary, Assam
44 Protecting the rhinoceros in Laokhowa Wildlife Sanctuary, Assam
45 Protecting the rhinoceros in Kaziranga National Park, Assam
Section 2. THE JAVAN RHINOCEROS Rhinoceros sondaicus IN SOUTH ASIA
46 The Javan Rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus)
47 Taxonomy and nomenclature of Rhinoceros sondaicus in South Asia
48 Javan rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus) in captivity in South Asia
49 Historical records of the rhinoceros in Odisha
50 Historical records of the rhinoceros in the Western Sundarbans
51 Historical records of the rhinoceros in the Eastern Sundarbans
52 Records for Rhinoceros sondaicus in North Bengal and Assam
Section 3. THE SUMATRAN RHINOCEROS Dicerorhinus sumatrensis IN SOUTH ASIA
53 The Sumatran Rhinoceros (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis)
54 Taxonomy and nomenclature of Dicerorhinus sumatrensis in South Asia
55 Sumatran rhinoceros (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis) in captivity in South Asia
56 Historical records of the rhinoceros in Chittagong
57 Historical records of the rhinoceros in Mizoram
58 Historical records of the rhinoceros in Tripura
59 Historical records of the rhinoceros in Sylhet Division
60 Historical records of the rhinoceros in Lower Assam
61 Historical records of the rhinoceros in Manipur
62 Historical records of the rhinoceros in Nagaland
63 Historical records of the rhinoceros in Eastern Arunachal Pradesh
64 Records for Dicerorhinus sumatrensis in North Bengal and Assam
EPILOGUE
65 Epilogue: Range of Rhinoceros unicornis in South Asia
66 Epilogue: Range of Rhinoceros sondaicus in South Asia
67 Epilogue: Range of Dicerorhinus sumatrensis in South Asia
Bibliography
Sponsors and Subscribers
Table of Contents
List of Illustrations
Acknowledgements
List of Abbreviations
List of Acronyms
Section 1. THE GREATER ONE-HORNED RHINOCEROS Rhinoceros unicornis IN SOUTH ASIA
Section 2. THE JAVAN RHINOCEROS Rhinoceros sondaicus IN SOUTH ASIA
Section 3. THE SUMATRAN RHINOCEROS Dicerorhinus sumatrensis IN SOUTH ASIA
EPILOGUE
Bibliography
Academic and general readers with an interest in South Asian history, art history, social history, royal sport, history of sports hunting, the keeping of animals in captivity, the taxonomic history, the distribution and conservation practices of all species of rhinoceros.