Manas – Assam: Two hand-raised orphaned rhinos arrived at Manas National Park this morning after a 12-hour-long truck journey from their previous home at the Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation (CWRC) in Kaziranga.

The female rhinos, both three-and-a-half-years old were put on two separate trucks yesterday for their momentous 450-kilometers journey to Bansbari in Manas.

They were radio-collared for post release monitoring.

Officials and wildlife experts are hoping to revive rhino population in Manas after they were poached to extinction a decade ago, amid civil unrest and destruction of their habitats.

Last year, a single rhino was shifted to Manas from the centre as part of the plan.

CWRC, one of India’s first multi-species rehabilitation centers was set up in the year 2001 in partnership between WTI, IFAW and the Assam Forest Department.

“It is heartening to know that these rhinos will form the nucleus of the new rhino population in Manas.” Dr. N. V. K. Ashraf, Director Wild Rescue of Wildlife Trust of India, said from Manas.

Besides locals, senior forest officials – Ritesh Bhattacharjee, Deputy Field Director, Manas Tiger Project and Abhijit Rabha, Manas Park Director came to receive the rhinos.

“The rhinos were released in an enclosure inside the park and are well. They will be monitored closely, before we shift them to the bigger enclosure where the other rhino is kept.” Rathin Barman of WTI said.

Officials in Manas affectionately named the two rhinos as Manshi and Roje (Roje means the “dear one” in the local Bodo language).

A team of six veterinary doctors, Dr. Bijoy Dutta, and Dr. Bhupen Sarma, Dept. of Surgery and Radiology – College of Veterinary Science, Guwahati, Dr. Anjan Talukdar and Dr. Prashanta Boro of WTI accompanied the convoy.

Manas National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, a tiger and an elephant reserve was declared “in danger” in 1992 as a result of widespread habitat disturbances.

The park is well know for its rare and endangered wildlife which is not found anywhere else in the world like the Assam Roofed Turtle, Hispid Hare, Golden Langur and Pygmy Hog.

“Earlier we would rescue animals and take them to the zoo and that was the end. But now the rescue center has made rehabilitation into the wild a possibility.” D. M. Singh, Park Director of Kaziranga said.

“The enormous effort of veterinary doctors, IFAW, the staff of the forest department, and the WTI animal keepers at the CWRC rescue center has made this possible,” said Professor P.C. Bhattacharjee of WTI.

As a result of recurring floods in Kaziranga, a large number of wild animals get displaced or orphaned and many land up at the rescue center where they are rehabilitated.

Nearly, 150 rescue cases are handled by CWRC every year. These three rhinos in Manas were rescued from floods in Kaziranga when they were less than six months old.

Prior to their send-off, M. C. Malakar, Chief Wildlife Warden of Assam said, “We are confident the rhinos will do well in Manas, as we are involving not just the government but also the locals in the conservation effort.”

“We want to do everything possible to assure a successful transition back to the wild for these animals.” Dr. Ian Robinson, who heads IFAW’s (International Fund for Animal Welfare) Emergency Relief team, said.