Assam: Three rhino calves to be shifted from Kaziranga to Manas Tiger Reserve

Three Rhino calves, rescued by State Forest Department outside Kaziranga National Park during 2019 Assam floods will be translocated to Manas Tiger Reserve in Assam. As per an official order by the Assam Forest Department,

Three Rhino calves, rescued by State Forest Department outside Kaziranga National Park during 2019 Assam floods will be translocated to Manas Tiger Reserve in Assam.

As per an official order by the Assam Forest Department, “Three Rhino calves including 2 females and 1 male, rescued by State Forest Department outside Kaziranga National Park during floods in 2019, will be shifted to Manas Tiger Reserve in Assam.”

Rescued by the Assam Forest Department (AFD) and the IFAW- WTI vets from Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation (CWRC) at Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve, these rhino calves have undergone a protocol of rehabilitation for two years before they will be translocated to Manas Tiger Reserve (MTR) following the IFAW- WTI commitment of “Bringing Back Manas”.

Two females were rescued from Hatimura (Biswanath- North Bank) and Kuthuri area whereas the male was rescued from Solmara during the Kaziranga floods that hit in July-August 2019.

All three will undergo health check-ups and marking before they are loaded in individual crates for the translocation by the expert team of IFAW-WTI veterinarians led by Head vet Dr Bhaskar Choudhury with Dr Samshul Ali, Manager CWRC, Dr Daoharu Baro, In-charge MVS -Western Assam along with Dr Biswajit Baruah, FVO, Kaziranga NP &TR.

The convoy is expected to reach Manas Tiger Reserve (MTR) in the early hours of Saturday, 10 April 2021 for the scheduled release of the animals in their dedicated boma, where they will be kept for a stipulated period for habituation before their final release in the wilderness of the reserve.

“Three Rhinos calves including 2 females and 1 male, rescued outside Kaziranga National Park during high flood of 2019 and looked after at Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation (CWRC) under Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve will be translocated to Manas Tiger Reserve on 9th April and released back to the wild. It is the right time to release, as the calves will be developing horns. The intra-state Rhino translocation will help in improving the gene pool and give respite from any epidemics in future.” -said P Sivakumar, Director, Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve.

Under our commitment to bring back Manas, AFD-WTI-IFAW along with BTR, have augmented Manas with 19 rhinos including offspring of the released rhinos, born in the wilderness of Manas Tiger Reserve since 2006, out of the total population of 44 rhinos (Rhino Estimation 2021).

The release of flood-rescued and rehabilitated rhinos into Manas Tiger Reserve is a part of the long-term project of IFAW-WTI with AFD and BTR, where the translocated rhinos have bred, and their progeny have added to the rhino population of Manas Tiger Reserve.

In June-July 2019, lives of thousands of people were severely affected after the water level of the Brahmaputra river and its tributaries rose due to heavy rainfall in the region. For months, the people of Assam were left dispersed and many lost their lives. Fauna and flora were also severely hit. (ANI)

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