Back to the wild: Chandra and Kanai return home to Kaziranga

Guwahati: In a significant milestone for wildlife conservation in Assam, two hand-raised greater one-horned rhinoceros calves were successfully translocated from the Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation (CWRC) to Kaziranga National Park on Tuesday, following internationally accepted conservation translocation protocols.

Established in 2002, CWRC is a collaborative initiative of the Assam Forest Department, Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) and the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW). The centre plays a crucial role in rescuing flood-distressed and orphaned wild animals, particularly from Kaziranga, providing emergency veterinary care, hand-raising orphaned animals, and rehabilitating fit individuals back into the wild through scientifically designed protocols such as pre-release enclosures.

Since its inception, CWRC has rescued and handled over 7,397 animals belonging to 357 species. Of these, around 4,490 animals—nearly 65 per cent—have been successfully released back into their natural habitats after treatment and rehabilitation. Notably, the centre has hand-raised 25 rhinos so far, with 23 earlier returned to Manas National Park and two to Kaziranga.

At present, CWRC was housing three rhino calves, of which two male rhinos—Chandra and Kanai—were translocated to Kaziranga National Park. Chandra was rescued on August 2, 2020, from the Kaziranga Range of the park and is currently five years old, while Kanai was rescued on August 31, 2021, from Kuthori in Nagaon district and is now four years old. Both animals are reported to be in good health.

The translocation was carried out after obtaining the requisite permissions from the Chief Wildlife Warden, Assam, under the Wildlife (Protection) Act. A Site Selection Committee was constituted to identify suitable locations for pre-release enclosures. Following the move, the rhinos have been placed in a pre-release enclosure within Kaziranga, where they will gradually be habituated to wild conditions before their final release into the park.

The operation was overseen by a team of veterinarians comprising Dr Bhaskar Choudhury, Centre-in-Charge, CWRC; Dr Sourabh Buragohain, Field Veterinary Officer, Kaziranga; Dr Mohit Nyal; and Dr Mehdi, along with experienced animal keepers. Senior officials of Kaziranga National Park, led by Field Director Dr Sonali Ghosh, along with Mr Arun Vignesh, DFO (EAWL), range officers, and subject matter experts Dr Rathin Barman, Mr Kaushik Barua and Dr Anupam Sarmah, supervised various aspects of the operation.

Officials said the successful transfer of the rhinos stands as a testimony to the scientific wildlife management and well-established rehabilitation protocols being followed in Kaziranga National Park Tiger Reserve (NPTR). The initiative shows the commitment of conservation authorities to ensure that every rescued wild animal—especially the iconic greater one-horned rhinoceros—is given a chance to return to its natural home, even after enduring severe stress caused by calamities such as floods.

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