33 Wild Animals Rescued By Center For Wildlife Rehabilitation And Conservation In Kaziranga Flood

Guwahati, September 3: Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation (CWRC) run Mobile Veterinary Service (MVS) units of Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) and International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) in association with Assam Forest Department and local people HAD rescued thirty three strayed out wild animals during the recent flood wave in Kaziranga National Park from August 25 to August 30, 2014.

The recent flood wave haD submerged around 80% of the park area causing a threat to the animal population of the Kaziranga National Park.

Elephants, rhinos, tiger and the most affected deer population had suffered a lot.

Most of the deer haD shifted towards highlands of Karbi Anglong foothills. But the rescues of endangered hog deer from the fringes were the most.

The national highway 37, the lifeline through the Kaziranga landscape is the most vulnerable stretch that has quite a number of animal corridors connected to the park and the wildlife moves towards the highlands through these animal corridors during flood too.

Every year, the Kaziranga Forest Authority had introduced time card to control the vehicle movement on NH 37. Animals face problem due to vehicle movement which sometimes lead to death of wildlife.

Assam forest department officials and guards, forest protection force, police, NGOs, Zeep Safari Association and the most important local people around Kaziranga National Park worked together during flood like earlier years, for wildlife safety.

Four Mobile Veterinary Service units of Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation (CWRC) had covered the crisis zones of the Kaziranga national park during flood for animal safety. Each Mobile Veterinary Service unit has one veterinarian, two or more animal keepers along with other conservationists and volunteers as per need.

Out of 33 rescued animals, twenty six animals were released by the MVS team after minimum intervention in the safe wilderness of Kaziranga National Park.

Six hog deer and one wild boar died. 75% of the rescued animals were released in Kaziranga National Park during flood this year.

Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation (CWRC) was established in association with Assam Forest department to attend the wild animals in distress near Kaziranga National Park in 2002.

The centre has so far attended more than 3500 wild animals out of which 60% of the animals were released back to the wild.

CWRC is the only such facility to attend animals in distress in and around any national park in India.