CWRC: On September 27, 2015, IFAW-WTI run Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation (CWRC) received a call about a strange looking animal venturing into a human habitation. It was Dr Suraj P Kakati, a veterinarian, who informed CWRC about this odd looking creature and requested the team to identify and save the animal. The CWRC Mobile Veterinary Service (MVS) unit swung into action and rushed to the spot to attend to the animal and identify it.

On reaching the spot, the MVS team identified the animal as hog badger and rescued it from the human habitat in a joint operation with Kaziranga Forest staff and locals of Jakhalabonda in Nagaon district of Assam. This highly elusive creature looks like a cross between a wild boar and bear and has very rarely been seen frequenting human habitat.

Listed as Near Threatened in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, the animal seemed to be under a lot of stress and was immediately taken to CWRC for medical examination. The team did a body morphometery and identified it as a full grown female weighing 10.516 kgs. The team has also noticed that she was walking gingerly and was severely dehydrated. “Seeing her uncomfortable while walking, we did an X-ray to find if the animal had any injuries,” said Dr Panjit Basumatary, IFAW-WTI veterinarian. The animal was then put in a cage and required feed was provided.

After observing it for a day, the animal was released in Rangalu Forest Area of Kaziranga on September 28, 2015, in presence of the forest officials led by S Burhagohain, Forest Range Officer, Burhapahar Range. CWRC since its inception has handled 12 cases pertaining to hog badgers and out of them eight, including this one, have been successfully released back into the wild.