Shifting Sandbars of the Mighty Brahmaputra

ASSAM, India - The huge, one-horned beast looks up and gazes at us in the early-morning mist. Its thick, gray, leathery hide drapes down its flanks, like sections of armor plating. Two small birds perch on its rump, pecking away at insects. The rhinoceros is unperturbed by the birds or our close approach, allowing us to observe it at leisure from high above.