Two one-horned rhinoceroses orphaned during floods in 2020 and 2021 were translocated from Assam’s Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation (CWRC) to Kaziranga National Park on Tuesday.
Chandra, 5, and Kanai, 4, the two, will stay in a pre-release enclosure at Kaziranga to acclimatise to the wild before their final release, as per internationally accepted conservation translocation protocols.
Officials said both animals are in good health and that they were translocated after permission from Assam’s Chief Wildlife Warden under the Wildlife (Protection) Act. A site selection committee was constituted to identify suitable locations for the pre-release enclosure.
Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve field director Sonali Ghosh said a team of veterinarians and senior forest officials oversaw the operation, as per established rehabilitation and release protocols.
The Assam forest department, Wildlife Trust of India, and the International Fund for Animal Welfare established CWRC in 2002. The centre specialises in rescuing flood-distressed and orphaned wild animals and rehabilitating them for release into the wild.
Officials said CWRC has rescued and handled over 7,397 animals belonging to 357 species. As many as 4,490, or nearly 65%, of them have been successfully released. The centre has raised 25 rhinos, with 23 released in Manas National Park and two in Kaziranga.