CWRC, Kaziranga National Park, June 9, 2016: Pramila Rani Brahma, who recently took oath as the Minister of Environment and Forests of the newly-elected Government of Assam, visited IFAW-WTI’s Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation (CWRC) yesterday.

The minister was welcomed with a traditional ‘Phulam Gamocha’ by WTI’s Deputy Director Dr Rathin Barman and Regional Director (NE) Dr Bhaskar Choudhury. Dr Barman apprised the minister of the work done in CWRC’s 14-year history as India’s only facility where orphaned and/or injured wild animals of several species are hand-raised and/or treated and rehabilitated into the wild. The CWRC team also presented her with a set of WTI publications on wildlife conservation.

The minister expressed her appreciation for CWRC’s contribution to the care of wildlife in northeast India. She made a particular point of interacting with the centre’s animal keepers on the process of hand-raising young animals. Bikash Brahma, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife), M Ali, Director, Kaziranga National Park and other senior officials of the Assam Forest Department were also present during the minister’s visit.

_{CWRC animal keepers presented the minister with a photograph of elephant calves currently being hand-raised at the centre}