Press release from the Wildlife Trust of India

[Guest guest]

*Dear media colleagues,*

* Please find attached a press release from the

Wildlife Trust of India regarding the release of rhinos to the Manas

National Park in Assam. We hope that you will be able to print this news in

your esteemed newspaper.*

* Please do revert in case of any clarifications.*

* Thank you.*

* Best wishes and kind regards,*

* Yours sincerely,*

* *

* Programmes Officer -

Communications*

* Wildlife Trust of

India*

* NOIDA*

*WILD RHINOS ARE BACK IN MANAS*

**

*Manas (Assam), December 2, 2008: Three female greater one-horned rhinoceros

were released in the wild from their temporary enclosure (boma) in Manas

National Park in western Assam late last week. *

 

* *

 

*The release successfully culminated the efforts of the Assam Forest

Department and Wildlife Trust of India - International Fund for Animal

Welfare (WTI-IFAW) to " bring rhinos back to Manas " , which began with the

translocation of an individual from Kaziranga in January 2006. This was the

first ever attempt to re-introduce the rhinos in Manas, which lost its 100

or so rhinos to poachers by the year 2000. Two more rhinos were translocated

a year later and another in February this year. *

 

* *

 

*Rescued as orphans displaced by floods in Kaziranga National Park, the

rhinos were hand-raised by the WTI-IFAW run Centre for Wildlife

Rehabilitation and Conservation (CWRC), based near Kaziranga, before their

translocation. In Manas, they were kept in a spacious 33 acre boma, to

protect them from predators while they underwent gradual acclimatisation to

the new environment. *

 

* *

 

*Dr Rathin Barman, Co-ordinator, WTI, said, " Several meetings between rhino

experts and government authorities were held to decide that the rhinos were

ready for release, including the meeting of the Rhino Task Force of the

Government of Assam held in September 2008. All three females are adults and

have been acclimatised in Manas for more than a year. The release is a

concrete attempt to re-establish the UNESCO world heritage site as a home

range of the species. " *

 

* *

 

*The park authority made necessary arrangements on the security front,

including alerting the field staff in all camps of the park for the

protection of the rhinos. *

 

* *

 

*A Swargiary, Director, Manas National Park, said, " The rhinos translocated

by WTI-IFAW were ready for release as they had established their home range

around the boma; this was confirmed through their defecation areas (which

are localised in the species). We have revived all the anti-poaching camps

inside as well as in the southern boundary of the park. Patrolling is going

on day and night. The local youth from the bordering villages have been

mobilised by the Bodoland Territorial Council to prevent poaching, for

surveillance and information gathering. The security situation in Manas is

rather good now, but we are not leaving our guard. " *

 

* *

 

*The boma gate was opened on November 27 following a pre-release assessment

of the conditions in the park.*

 

* *

 

*The rhinos had been radio-collared before their translocation to Manas. The

radio-collars are now employed to track the movement of the rhinos for the

necessary post-release monitoring. The released rhinos are being monitored

continuously.*

 

* *

 

* " The rhinos have not explored far away from the boma; the farthest they

have ventured is less than 1 km from their former enclosure. They were

acclimatised here and they consider the vicinity of the boma as their home.

This was the idea behind restraining them in the enclosure, as this will

prevent them from accidentally straying into human settlements, which could

result in harm to themselves or to humans, " added Dr Barman. *

 

* *

 

*Meanwhile, the two male rhinos which were translocated under the wild to

wild release of 'Indian Rhino Vision 2020 (IRV 2020)' were subsequently

also put in the enclosure and are being held at the boma, expected to be

released soon. *

 

* *

 

*MC Malakar, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) and Chief

Wildlife Warden, Assam, happy with the status of the recently released

rhinos said, " The habitat in Manas is ready for the release of rhinos.

This has also been determined by the Habitat Assessment Group and Security

Assessment Group set up under the IRV 2020, an initiative of the Department

of Forests and Environment, Government of Assam assisted by WWF and various

other NGOs. Rhino re-population in Manas is a collaboration of various

agencies; being implemented both by rehabilitating rescued or displaced

rhinos, as in the current Wildlife Trust of India aided release, and also

by wild to wild translocation, as with the males which were brought from

Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary. The IRV 2020 aims to reintroduce the species in

previously rhino bearing areas and also increase the population of rhinos in

Assam to 3000 by the year 2020. " *

 

*Regards.

 

--

Sheren Shrestha,

Assistant Programme Officer,

Wildife Trust of India,

B-13, Second Floor,

Sector-6, Noida-201301.

Ph No- (0120) 4143911/4143900

Mobile- 09990930530 *

 

 

*--

Sheren Shrestha,

Assistant Programme Officer,

Wildife Trust of India,

B-13, Second Floor,

Sector-6, Noida-201301.

Ph No- (0120) 4143911/4143900

Mobile- 09990930530*