Two rescued rhinos translocated to Kaziranga National Park after successful rehabilitation

Two one-horned rhinoceroses, earlier rescued during floods and treated at the Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation (CWRC), were on January 20 translocated to Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve, marking another milestone in Assam’s wildlife conservation efforts, officials said.

The five-year-old rhinos, a male and a female, were rescued in August 2020 and August 2021 respectively after being injured during severe floods in Kaziranga landscape. Both animals had remained under long-term veterinary care and rehabilitation at CWRC since their rescue.

According to officials, the translocation was carried out following the standard conservation translocation protocol, after obtaining all necessary permissions from the Chief Wildlife Warden, Assam, under the Wildlife (Protection) Act. A site selection committee ensured that the release locations were suitable for post-release acclimatisation and survival.

The rhinos have now been moved to a pre-release enclosure within Kaziranga, where they will undergo a period of acclimatisation under natural conditions before being released freely into the wild. Authorities said this step is crucial to help rehabilitated animals gradually adapt before full reintegration into their natural habitat.

The translocation operation was supervised by a team of veterinarians led by CWRC Centre-in-charge Bhaskar Choudhury, along with experienced animal keepers. Senior officials from Kaziranga National Park, including Field Director Sonali Ghosh, DFO Arun Vignesh, range officers, subject experts Radhika Sharma and Kaushik Basu, and Assam Forest Department staff were present during the process.

Officials said the operation reflects the established rehabilitation protocols followed in Kaziranga, particularly for one-horned rhinoceroses rescued during natural disasters. These protocols aim to ensure that animals affected by floods or other calamities are given a fair chance to return to the wild once they recover fully.

Established in 2002, the CWRC is a collaborative initiative of the Assam Forest Department, Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) and the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW). Its primary role is to rescue, treat and rehabilitate distressed and orphaned wild animals, especially during floods, before releasing them back into their natural habitats.

So far, CWRC has rescued and handled over 7,397 animals across 357 species, with approximately 4,490 animals successfully released into the wild after treatment. Earlier, 25 rehabilitated rhinos were released in Manas National Park, while two others were released in Kaziranga following successful recovery, officials added.