More Power To The Rhino

By Subhash Chandra N S

A year-long process of translocation of rhinos from Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary to Manas National Park in Assam was completed recently. The programme provides a roadmap for long-term conservation of the Indian rhino in Assam, writes Subhash Chandra N S

rhiIn what is considered a great success for Indian rhino conservation, the Assam Forest Department along with World Wildlife Fund on December 29 completed the year-long process of translocation of rhinos from Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary (PWS) to Manas National Park (MNP).

Procuring tranquilising drugs, radio-collars and other equipment and many meetings at various levels finally met with success by the end of December. Two female Indian rhinoceros (rhinoceros unicornis), a mother and a juvenile, were translocated to MNP on December 29 from PWS in Assam, under the aegis of the Indian Rhino Vision 2020 (IRV 2020) programme.

A specially-trained team released the two rhinos in the Basbari range in the central part of MNP. These were captured through chemical immobilisation in Pobitora on December 28 and transported in specially designed crates in two different trucks to Manas, under strict security and veterinary assistance. They will be observed very closely for the next few months. The Indian rhinoceros is currently listed as a vulnerable species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

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 local communities.

Target 3,000 by 2020
The programme’s vision is to increase Assam’s rhino population to 3,000 by 2020, which will be done by wild-to-wild translocations from Kaziranga National Park and PWS 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 2,000 in 2005 to over 2,200 in 2009, more than 90 per cent of these live in just one Protected Area, which is the Kaziranga National Park (KNP). 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.

Under this programme, the first phase of wild-to-wild translocations was carried out in April 2008 when two male rhinos were re-introduced into MNP from PWS. The current translocations that ended on December 29 and started on December 27, are part of two phases of the translocations. During this second phase, a total of eighteen rhinos are proposed to be translocated. The sanctuary was closed for visitors to ensure minimal disturbance to the animals and the entire operation was carried out under strict vigilance.

Like the rhinos translocated earlier, the adult female has been fitted with a radio-collar, and along with the juvenile, it will be monitored continuously through the next year by the staff of Manas NP with support from WWF-India.WWF-India has been preparing the ground for this second phase of translocation from the past year and assisted the Department of Environment and Forests - Government of Assam. WWF-India’s field teams at Manas National Park have been monitoring the rhinos there and have been working with the Park authorities to increase security to ensure protection to the released rhinos.

According to D M Singh (IFS), Chief Conservator of Forests - Wildlife, Government of Assam, who is also the Chief Operating Officer of the Rhino Translocation Core Committee, the tranquilisations were done by the capture team lead by Prof. K K Sarma of the College of Veterinary Science, Khanapara. Other members of the capture team included Bijoy Dutta, Associate Professor of the College of Veterinary Science; M L Smith, Forest Veterinary Officer of Assam State Zoo and Anjan Talukdar of Aaranyak.

The captured rhinos were transported under the supervision of C R Bhobra (IFS), Deputy Director of Manas Tiger Reserve and the transportation team included Anupam Sarmah, Senior Coordinator of WWF-India’s North Bank and Kaziranga Karbi-Anglong Landscapes.

The programme provides a roadmap for long-term conservation of the Indian rhino in Assam, charted in June 2005 by the Task Force for Translocation of Rhinos within Assam, commonly referred to as the Rhino Task Force (constituted by the Assam government).

According to Dipankar Ghose, Head, Eastern Himalayas Programme, WWF-India, “The rhino translocation being carried out at present is very important to initiate the next round of translocations in Assam. It has strengthened the confidence of all teams involved. Given the excellent support received from the state Forest Department and the administration, this is also a landmark achievement for active management of species involving different stakeholders.”

The unicorn
* The Indian rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis) is also called Greater one-horned rhinoceros and Asian one-horned rhinoceros and belongs to the rhinocerotidae family.

* Listed as a highly vulnerable species, the large mammal is primarily found in parts of north-eastern India and in protected areas in the Terai of Nepal, where populations are confined to the riverine grasslands at the foothills of the Himalayas.

* Weighing between 2,260 kg and 3,000 kg, it is the fourth largest land animal and has a single horn, which measures 20 to 57 cm (7.9 to 22 in) in length.

* The Indian rhinoceros once ranged throughout the entire stretch of the Indo-Gangetic plain, but excessive hunting has reduced their natural habitat drastically.

It has a single horn, which like human fingernails, is pure keratin and starts to show after the young rhino attains the age of six.