How An Assam Father & Daughter Are Making Notebooks From Rhino Dung To Help Villagers Earn

Handmade paper can be made from cotton rags, recycled newspapers, bamboo and even agricultural waste. But have you ever imagined that elephant and rhinoceros dung could become paper too?

In Assam, retired mining engineer Mahesh Chandra Bora and his daughter, Nisha Bora, are turning this unlikely idea into a business. Through their venture, Elrhino, they transform wildlife waste into handcrafted paper and stationery, creating livelihoods for rural communities while encouraging people to see the value of protecting these animals.

The idea began with a question that came to Mahesh while he was on a flight. He read about paper being made from elephant dung in Rajasthan and wondered: if it could work in a state with relatively few elephants, why not in Assam, where elephants and one-horned rhinoceroses are part of the landscape?

From a kitchen blender to a paper-making venture

After retiring, Mahesh decided to explore the idea himself. He understood that elephants and rhinos eat large quantities of grass and other vegetation that their digestive systems cannot break down completely. Their dung, therefore, contains plenty of plant fibres that can be used to make paper.

He began experimenting at home, using his wife's kitchen blender and window screens to work out how the fibres could be turned into sheets.

It took repeated trials to get the process right, but the experiments eventually yielded handmade paper. What started as a personal project began taking the shape of a business, with Mahesh determined to make conservation and local employment part of its purpose.

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His daughter, Nisha, soon joined him. After spending 17 years in the corporate world, she left her career to help develop the venture, bringing her experience in market research and business to the table.

Together, they established Elrhino in 2014, officially known as Elrhino Eco Industries Pvt Ltd, to turn their idea into a sustainable enterprise.

How dung becomes paper

The process relies on the fibres left behind after elephants and rhinos digest their food. The collected dung is cleaned, washed and boiled before being processed into pulp. This is combined with other materials, including recycled paper, cotton waste and plant fibres, to create sheets.

The resulting paper is then pressed and dried before being used to make finished products.

Elrhino's range includes notebooks, journals, paper bags, lampshades, playing cards and other stationery and decorative items. Some products also incorporate natural fibres from plants such as banana stems, which are readily available in Assam.

The paper's visible flecks and distinctive texture offer a glimpse of its unusual raw material. More importantly, using these alternative fibres reduces reliance on wood pulp and offers another way to make use of resources that would otherwise go to waste.

Giving villagers a reason to protect wildlife

For Mahesh and Nisha, the idea was never just about making paper. It was also about changing the relationship between local communities and the wildlife around them.

Elephants and rhinos can sometimes stray into agricultural areas, damaging crops and creating difficulties for farmers living near their habitats. At the same time, poaching and habitat loss threaten these animals.

Elrhino works with local villagers who collect dung, particularly from areas around wildlife habitats, and contribute to the paper-making process. By purchasing this material and creating work around its processing, the venture provides communities with an additional source of income.

This creates a different kind of connection with wildlife. When dung has economic value, the presence of elephants and rhinos can bring opportunities alongside the challenges of living near them. The approach gives communities a tangible stake in conservation, although it works alongside, rather than replaces, the need to protect habitats and prevent poaching.

The business also provides opportunities for rural artisans to develop skills in handmade paper production and craftwork.

Good for villagers, good for wildlife

Elrhino shows how an unconventional idea can bring together environmental responsibility, entrepreneurship and rural livelihoods.

For Mahesh, the journey began with a question on a flight and a series of experiments at home. With Nisha helping turn the idea into a business, those early trials have grown into a venture that makes everyday products from an unexpected material.

The stronger possibility is just as interesting: if wildlife waste can become a valuable resource, it can support both the people living alongside these animals and the conservation efforts needed to protect them.

Sometimes, an idea that sounds unlikely at first can open up a completely different way of looking at the world. In Assam, this father-daughter duo is showing that even a notebook can begin with something found along a forest path.

Sources:

'ELRHINO' by Your Network of Opportunities To Scale.

'TBI Blogs: Rhino Poop from Assam Is Helping Farmers Gain Sustainable Income! Here’s How' by Digital Empowerment Foundation for The Better India, Published on 30 December 2016.