Kaziranga: In a bid to acclimatise a three-year old rhino calf to the different steps leading to its upcoming travel plan in Manas National Park in the second week of February, a radio-collar was fitted to her neck and also a transportation crate placed in her paddock, which will carry her to the new home.
The animal is now at the Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation (CWRC) in Kaziranga and will be the first rhino to be translocated under the ambitious rhino reintroduction programme of the Assam government.
“Initially, the animal took this new fixture in her paddock with a studied indifference. Soon curiosity got the better of her and within three days she was sniffing at the crate and peering into it with due skepticism.” said Murali Pai of Wildlife Trust of India.
“However, a breakthrough was achieved within a week when the rhino entered the crate to eat her evening feed of concentrate mix. She even started sleeping in the crate.” he pleasantly recalls.
Profs. Bhupen Sharma and Bijoy Dutta of the College of Veterinary Sciences, Guwahati carried a final health check on January 25 in the presence of N. K. Vasu, Director of Kaziranga National Park and Project Leader of CWRC.
The animal was tranquilized by this team and was maintained under anesthesia for about 30 minutes to complete the formalities of collecting blood samples for disease screening and radio-collaring. Biometric information of the animal was also collected for future monitoring.
“All present at the centre were happy to see the rhino calf go about her routine business in the paddock with the newly acquired radio-collar,” Pai adds.
The animal will be sent to the Kuribeel rhino reintroduction site in the Bansbari range of Manas National Park. It will be kept in the Boma (An African word for the holding area) covering four hectares with power fences on the boundary.
CWRC is a joint initiative of WTI and the Assam Forest Department supported by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) for rescue and rehabilitation of wild animals of the region.
