Kaziranga (Assam): A displaced rhino calf was successfully reunited with its mother in Haldibari Reserve Forest near Kaziranga National Park by the Assam Forest Department assisted by a team from the International Fund for Animal Welfare – Wildlife Trust of India (IFAW-WTI) run Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation (CWRC), yesterday.

“Reunion is the preferred option for rehabilitation of all displaced wild animal younglings. This is an exciting achievement for us as it is the first instance of a rhino calf reunion in our nine years of emergency relief work in Assam,” said Dr NVK Ashraf, Senior Veterinarian and Chief Operating Officer, WTI.

The calf, a 45-day old female was rescued from a trench in a tea garden adjoining Haldibari RF. The mother and the calf are presumed to have crossed the National Highway 37 towards the highlands of Karbi Anglong hills to avoid increasing water levels in Kaziranga.

“The rhinos were perhaps grazing near Hathikuli Tea Estate, when the calf fell into the trench. We could hear the calls of the mother rhino which was hiding in the nearby woodlands and was clearly agitated. As the national highway was barely 100 metres from the hiding place of the mother, the Forest Department officials stopped traffic during the operation to prevent alarming the rhinos,” said Dr Anil Deka, IFAW-WTI veterinarian who assisted the Forest Department in the rescue operation.

The calf was removed from the trench by the team and released near the hiding place of the mother in Haldibari RF. Reunion was confirmed upon hearing the calf respond to its mother’s grunts.

While a number of displaced elephant calves have been similarly reunited with their natal herds, all displaced rhino calves previously attended to by the CWRC have been hand-raised for a long-term rehabilitation. Reunion attempts bore no result as the mothers could not be located. Currently three rhino calves and two sub-adults are being hand-raised at CWRC.