Relocated rhino gives birth to calf
‘Jamuna’, a female rhino that had been rehabilitated into the wild by Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and the Assam Forest Department in 2010, has given birth to her second calf in Manas National Park, the UNESCO World Heritage Site, on Sunday morning.
The calf was first seen by frontline forest staff of the Bansbari Range during their early morning patrol. Its presence was later confirmed by a field team of IFAW-WTI’s Greater Manas Conservation Project, comprising Dr Bhaskar Choudhury, WTI's Head Veterinarian (North East) and the project-in-charge, and animal keeper Debajit Saikia.
“This is the sixth calf born to the rhinos rehabilitated under our project and marks another significant milestone in our collective efforts to restore Manas to its former glory”, said Dr Choudhury. “It is a matter of great pride for IFAW-WTI, the Assam Forest Department and the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC). Our thanks also to the local community for their continuing tolerance towards rhinos despite instances of crop raiding.”
Jamuna was the third rhino rehabilitated under the Greater Manas Conservation Project. She had been rescued by the Assam Forest Department during the 2004 monsoon floods in Kaziranga National Park and brought to the Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation (CWRC) -- IFAW-WTI and the Assam Forest Department’s wildlife rescue, treatment and rehabilitation facility near Kaziranga -- where she was hand-raised. She was transported to Manas and released into the wild in November 2010. She birthed her first calf, a female, in 2014.
“I’m extremely pleased to receive this news”, said HK Sarma, IFS, Field Director, Manas National Park. “This is the first rhino calf born in Manas in nearly 20 months. My congratulations to IFAW-WTI, BTC and other stakeholders on this happy occasion.”
Other Contents by Author
Marking a significant milestone for conservation of Amur falcons in the northeast Indian state of Nagaland, three villages in Wokha district have pledged to save the migratory raptor in Doyang Reservoir - its largest roosting site in the country. With mass annual hunt potentially threatening the species, a resolution has been cleared by the villages to penalise offenders, this year onwards.Village Council Members (VCM) of Pangti, Asshaa and Sungro signed a tri-party Memorandum of Understanding with the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) and the Wokha-based NGO Natural Nagas, to assist the Nagaland Forest Department to stop the wide-scale hunt which was brought to light last year.Tens of...
A sub-adult wild tusker stranded in human-dominated area in Nagaon district of Assam was successfully translocated to the wild. The exhaustive two-day rescue operation was carried out by the Forest Department assisted by IFAW-WTI team, local elephant experts, mahouts and phandies, with local police and paramilitary forces fencing the crowd of thousands.The tusker was separated from its herd, was disoriented and had been taking shelter for over 70 days in and around Kaki Reserve Forest. It had been caught in conflict with people, resulting in damage to property and crops and even casualty of a farmer; it was also treated for gunshot injuries by the authorities assisted by...
A seven-year old male leopard is being shifted today to the Nagaland Zoological Park from the Centre of Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation (CWRC), near Kaziranga National Park. The Assam Forest Department and International Fund for Animal Welfare -Wildlife Trust of India (IFAW-WTI) run CWRC had been taking care of the leopard since 2006, after he was found alone in a tea garden by locals and handed over to the authorities. "When we get any animal at CWRC, our first choice is to look into rehabilitation back in the wild. However, rehabilitation is not an easy option for large carnivores, considering the need for extensive space as they are territorial animals, and...
The International Fund for Animal Welfare - Wildlife Trust of India (IFAW-WTI) has provided 35 boats to the Kaziranga National Park authorities to assist in anti-poaching patrolling in the flood-prone UNESCO World Heritage that houses more than 70% of the world's greater one horned rhinoceros.The boats are largely aimed at providing assistance to the local field staff in their patrolling (anti poaching) activities during the floods in Kaziranga National Park. Every year the park faces flooding of the Brahmaputra river, causing many animals to wander out in search of higher grounds. Many that are caught in the floods are rescued and rehabilitated by the Forest...
As preparations to tackle potential flood emergencies are on at the Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation (CWRC), good news poured in for the rehabilitators, as yet another rhino hand-reared here gave birth to a healthy calf in the wild in Manas National Park.The female rhino, named Jamuna, was rescued as a three-month-old calf during the annual floods in the famed Kaziranga National Park in June 2004, by the Assam Forest Department. She was admitted to the Assam Forest Department and IFAW-WTI run CWRC near Kaziranga for hand-raising and rehabilitation. In 2007, she along with another female calf, Ganga, was moved to Manas NP.With this, all three female rhinos...
A rescued rhino calf, Purabi, under care at Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation (CWRC) was moved to Manas National Park today, to join an orphaned rhino calf being hand-reared there. This is being done to increase the rehabilitation prospects of the latter calf which has been deprived of company of its kind since its mother was poached early this year.“We have been rescuing rhino calves at Kaziranga in various circumstances and most of them are now successfully hand raised at CWRC. At due course of time all these calves go back to the wilderness again,” said NK Vasu, Chief Conservator of Forest and Director, Kaziranga National Park.Purabi was separated from her mother...
Add new comment