Rhino calf rescued; CWRC provides flood relief in Kaziranga

KAZIRANGA, July 29, 2002: The centre may not have been officially inaugurated as yet, but it is the one which is providing much-needed succour to animals caught all on the wrong foot by rising floodwaters in the Kaziranga National Park. Personnel of the Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation (CWRC) are engaged in flood relief measures on a war footing.

Yesterday, a rhino calf was rescued from the park area. The calf is now in captivity and has been the first to be rescued this year. So far, 10 hog deer which had been injured and two pythons which had been trapped in various areas have been rescued by the CWRC. Seven of the hog deer have been released into areas not affected by the flood waters after being kept in captivity for one to three days. The pythons have also been released, according to Dr NVK Ashraf, who has just returned to Delhi from the area. Dr Ashraf heads Wildlife Trust of India's Wild Rescue team.

The CWRC ambulance has been patrolling the National Highway that passes through the park area. The centre, led by the centre manager Dr Rathin Barman, is a joint venture of WTI and the Assam forest department. He said the centre has been set up precisely to provide emergency releief measures and is equipped with adequate personnel and facilities. The CWRC. Which is to be inaugurated sometime next month, is equipped to provide shelter for big cats, small carnovores, primates, deer, birds, and reptiles. Vigil on the highways is still continuing at nights.

When flood waters swamp the forests, Dr Ashraf pointed out, displaced animals reach for elevated areas, which are usually the highways, in their quest to reach the hills on the other side. Many animals were killed in accidents on the highway, he said. Details of casualties, however, are still awaited. Among those who have been assisting in the rescue operations have been Dr Bhaskar Chowdhury, the centre veterenarian, Dr Raj Jyoti Deka and Dr.Anjan Talukdar, volunteer veterenarians.

Last year, the Kaziranga National Park area had remained relatively untouched by the annual floods. But this year, the Brahmaputra has wreaked havoc. According to a newspaper report, people living in and around Tezpur are now facing threats from wild animals which have sneaked into these areas fleeing the flood-affected areas of Burhachapori Reserve Forest and Kaziranga National Park. However, the water levels of the Brahmaputra and the Jibharali are now receding.