Life at Stake
Planet Doc Full Documentaries
We traveled to the border of India with Nepal, where began the legend of a creature able to attract people from around the world: The Indian Unicorn.
An incredible animal with a horn on its forehead, which can cure the ills of poor people who share ground with him.
We follow the traces of this myth built 20 centuries ago crossing a jungle inhabited by wild creatures among which stands out one, the unicorn and is now known as the Indian rhinoceros, a unique species with enormous power on his forehead.
The Indian rhinoceros deposits its faeces, creating over the years large piles which act as olfactory markers or beacons, defining its territory. Gigantic dung heaps that are impossible to ignore even for the least sensitive nose.
Another of the paradoxes of the ancient unicorn is that its horn is not the part of its body the Nepalese most appreciate.
They come to the dung heaps in search of what they swear is an infallible remedy for coughs.
For them, the enormous piles of dung are a plentiful supply of the ingredients for the finest tobacco.
Without doubt an exclusive luxury that only a few can enjoy. “The Taste of a Legend” would surely be a fitting advertising slogan.
Rhinos are essentially solitary animals, but when the males reach sexual maturity, at ten years of age, they fight even the females when they meet. Contrary to popular belief, they do not use their famous horn as a weapon, but rather bite at their rival. The loser will move off to try his luck elsewhere.
For the time being, Chitwan and Kaziranga are a good home for the rhinoceroses, with around 400 in the Nepalese park and 1,200 in the Indian one. Weighing almost 2,000 kilos and measuring 4.2 metres in length, it needs up to 5 square kilometres to cover its territorial and dietary needs. Its constant movements among the grass create an entire network of tracks which other animals take advantage of.