Kaziranga, April 4, 2015: Two wild Asian water buffaloes hand-raised at the IFAW-WTI run Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation (CWRC) were today released in an enclosure in Burhachapori Wildlife Sanctuary, Nagaon district, Assam. IFAW-WTI assisted the Assam Forest Department in the operation and will continue to monitor the animals.
The two buffalos, a male and female, were found at Ghorakhoti and Salimgaon area on September 23 and 29, 2012, after they got separated from the herd during the floods in Kaziranga National Park. The Forest Department handed them over to CWRC for rehabilitation.

Welcoming the efforts of CWRC in buffalo conservation, Mr Shiv Kumar, DFO, Laokhowa Burha Chapori, said,” “We welcome this wild buffalo rehabilitation effort of CWRC at Burachapori WLS. This will boost our continuous efforts to repopulate Burachapori WLS with key wildlife species.”

Following the site survey conducted in Burhachapori, the Assam Forest Department decided to release the buffaloes in this particular sanctuary. Dr Rathin Barman, Deputy Director and in charge of CWRC, said, “This is a yet another proud moment for the CWRC team that has worked very hard to hand-rear these buffaloes. The IFAW-WTI team is delighted to see these buffaloes go back to the wild. We are also thankful to the Assam Forest Department for their support.”

The buffaloes weaned from milk formula to natural grass over two years of hand-raising and are in pink of health. Since the two buffaloes are of different sex, they were kept in separate enclosures with minimum human contact so that they could develop wild instincts and released back into the wild.

For the first two months after their release, the duo would be kept in a temporary enclosure for adaptation in the new landscape. They will subsequently be released in the sanctuary. The IFAW-WTI team biologist along with the Assam Forest Department will continue to monitor the released animals for a stipulated time.

The Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation (CWRC) is the first rescue and rehabilitation centre near a protected area in India. Strategically located in Borjuri village, adjacent to the Panbari Reserve Forest, near Kaziranga National Park in Assam, the centre attends to a wide range of wildlife emergencies resulting from natural or anthropogenic causes.

CWRC was established in August 2002 with a primary aim to stabilise displaced animals and release them back into the wild, as close to the site of rescue as possible, following necessary treatment. The centre follows accepted international protocols and guidelines during rescue, treatment and rehabilitation of displaced or distressed animals.