The orphaned rhino calf of Manas turns two months old in its new enclosure

The orphaned calf of Rhino 17 which was moved into a new enclosure in Manas National Park in the Indian state of Assam is doing well there according to the experts looking after it. Its mother, Rhino 17, was gunned down by poachers on 2nd April in the Basbari Range of the Park. The calf, which turns two months old today, was later successfully rescued on 4th April by a team from the park that also included members from WWF-India and WTI. It was then brought to the elephant training centre in the Bansbari range of the Park where it was administered oral rehyrdation and kept under observation of veterinarians.

A special boma or enclosure was quickly constructed for the calf with support from the IRV 2020 program. The calf was moved into the new space at the end of April. The enclosure has a holding area of about 120 sq.ft and is three layered – wood, barbed wire & electric fence and the total enclosure size is about 160 sq.ft. The holding area has one water holding facility and one shade facility.

The calf is hand fed eight times daily by dedicated keepers under the supervision of rehabilitation experts and a team consisting of veterinarians, park officials and members of WWF-India’s rhino team monitor the condition of the calf on a daily basis. The Assam Forest Department is planning to bring into enclosure one more rescued calf from a rescue centre in Kaziranga National Park so that the two similarly aged calves can keep each other company.

“We are happy that the rhino calf is doing well in its enclosure. The calf is a symbol of hope now for the rhinos of Manas and we will do our utmost to ensure that it survives to adulthood and can eventually be released from the enclosure to join the free ranging ones in the park”, said Mr. Suresh Chand (IFS), PCCF (Wildlife) and Chief Wildlife Warden of Assam.

There were more reasons for cheer for Manas as two more rhinos gave birth to calves in the last one month. While the orphaned calf is doing well and there is now hope for its long term survival, the larger challenge of ensuring the safety of the translocated rhinos in Manas remains. Rhino 17, the mother of the orphaned calf, is the fourth translocated rhino to have been lost to poachers in Manas in the last two years and the 16th rhino killed in Assam so far this year. Out of the 18 rhinos translocated to Manas National Park only 14 remain alive now. The rhinos had been translocated under the Indian Rhino Vision 2020 programme (IRV 2020).

Wrongly believed to be a miracle cure in countries like Vietnam, the rising illict demand for rhino horn continues to pose the greatest threat for the rhinos of Assam.

WWF-India will continue work with the Assam Forest Department and other stakeholders to ensure that the remaining rhinos in Manas are better protected and remains committed to the conservation of Assam’s rhinos through the IRV 2020 programme.

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For more information:
Amit Sharma, Coordinator, Rhino Conservation, WWF-India, [email protected], +91 943501 5657
Anil Cherukupalli, Communications Manager, WWF-India, [email protected], +91 4150 4783

New photos are available here:
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About WWF-India:
WWF-India is one of the largest conservation organisations engaged in wildlife and nature conservation in the country. It has an experience of over four decades in the field and has made its presence felt through a sustained effort not only towards nature and wildlife conservation, but sensitising people by creating awareness through capacity building and enviro-legal activism.

It is a part of WWF International, which is one of the world’s largest and most respected independent conservation organizations, with over 5 million supporters and a global network active in over 100 countries. WWF’s mission is to stop the degradation of the earth’s natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature, by conserving the world’s biological diversity, ensuring that the use of renewable natural resources is sustainable, and promoting the reduction of pollution and wasteful consumption.

http://www.wwfindia.org/news_facts/ for latest news and media resources

About IRV 2020:
The IRV 2020 is a joint programme of the Department of Environment and Forests – Government of Assam, WWF-India and the International Rhino Foundation (IRF) with support from the Bodoland Territorial Council, US Fish and Wildlife Service and the local communities.

The programme’s vision is to increase Assam’s rhino population to 3000 by 2020, which will be done by wild-to-wild translocation from Kaziranga National Park and Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary to Manas and Dibru Saikhowa National Parks as well as Laokhowa and Burachopari Wildlife Sanctuaries. Assam accounts for the largest population of Indian rhinoceros. Though rhino numbers in the state have grown from 2000 in 2005 to over 2700 in 2011, more than 90% of these live in just one Protected Area, which is the Kaziranga National Park. The IRV 2020 programme aims to secure the long term survival of wild rhinos in Assam by expanding their distribution to reduce risks like disease, in-breeding depression and mass mortality.