Rhino Mom and Calf Gain New Home in India

LiveScience.com Yahoo News 31 Dec 10;

A rhino mother and calf were released into their new home at Manas National Park in India yesterday (Dec. 29), a move nearly a year in the making.

The female rhino and her calf were greeted with cheers and applause from the Indian Rhino Vision 2020 (IRV 2020) team of conservationists, local representatives, veterinarians and forest department officials as the rhinos arrived at the park in India's northeastern state of Assam.

The move was the second for IRV 2020 (the first took place in 2008 with two males). The translocations are part of an effort to increase the population of India's rhinos from around 2,000 to 3,000 by the year 2020, distributed over at least seven protected areas in Assam.

"The present rhino translocation is very important to initiate the next round of translocations in Assam, which has strengthened the confidence of all teams involved," said Dipankar Ghose of the conservation group WWF-India. "Given the excellent support received from the state Forest Department and the administration, this is also a landmark achievement for active management of species involving different stakeholders."

The greater one-horned rhinoceros is currently listed as a vulnerable species in the IUCN Red List. In the early 20th century, they were hunted close to extinction in the eastern Himalayas but recovered, thanks to strict protection measures. Over 90 percent of India's rhinos are concentrated in Assam's Kaziranga National Park, putting them at risk of an outbreak of disease or natural calamities like flooding and poaching.

Translocation is a conservation tool that can boost the overall numbers of a species by establishing populations that can grow in more than one area. This helps increase genetic diversity and safeguards populations from being wiped out.

But moving several thousand pounds of armor-plated animal is easier said than done. These rhinos have a fearsome temper and a surprisingly delicate constitution. A year of planning went into the translocation.

The rhinos were moved from Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary, also in Assam, to the Manas site. Their journey began a day earlier when the carefully selected rhinos were darted and tranquilized before being moved into individual crates loaded onto two separate trucks.

Under the careful supervision of veterinarians who monitored their health, and under tight security, the rhinos were driven through the night to the release site.

At dawn the next day, the crate doors were lifted and the rhinos made their first foray into Manas. The adult was fitted with a radio collar, and along with the juvenile, will be monitored through the next year by park staff, with support from the WWF.

Along with the four rhinos released there in the past two years, Manas has also received increased anti-poaching protection from IRV 2020 partners that includes 12 new camps, a new wireless network and two additional vehicles for monitoring and patrolling. More protection staff was hired, with 100 from the local community and members of India's civil defense organization, Home Guards.

Wild Indian rhinos find new ground in Himalayan foothills
WWF 6 Jan 11;

New Delhi, India – Ongoing efforts to increase the population of the vulnerable Indian Rhinoceros received a crucial lift just before New Year’s with the successful translocation of two female rhinos to a national park in India’s northeastern state of Assam.

The year-long process of procuring tranquilizers, radio-collars and other equipment needed to move the two rhinos – one adult and one juvenile – paid off in late December after a specially trained team released the pair in Manas National Park located on the Himalayan foothills.

The rhinos, which are currently listed as Vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), were moved to Manas from the Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary in specially designed crates.

The nearby Pobitora sanctuary has accumulated the world’s highest density of rhinos, with over 80 in less than 18 sq. km of habitat.

Translocation proving to be a successful strategy

“The present rhino translocation is very important to initiate the next round of translocations in Assam," said Dr. Dipankar Ghose, head of WWF-India’s Eastern Himalayas Program.

“It has strengthened the confidence of all teams involved. Given the excellent support received from the state Forest Department and the administration, this is also a landmark achievement for active management of species involving different stakeholders.”

Translocation is an important part of the Indian Rhino Vision 2020 (IRV 2020), a joint program that includes the Department of Environment and Forests of the Government of Assam, WWF and the International Rhino Foundation (IRF). The program is also supported by the the Bodoland Territorial Council, US Fish & Wildlife Service and local communities.

IRV 2020’s vision is to increase Assam’s rhino population from the current 2,200 individuals to 3,000 by the year 2020. This will be accomplished through wild-to-wild translocations from Kaziranga National Park, Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary, the Dibru Saikhowa National Park and the Laokhowa and Burachopari Wildlife Sanctuary to Manas.

A continuing conservation success story

From an estimated low of 20 individuals in 1905, the population of Indian Rhinoceros - also known as Greater One-horned Rhinoceroses – has increased over 100 fold, nearly all in Assam and most (86%) within the confines of Kaziranga National Park.

IRV 2020 also aims aims to secure the long-term survival of wild rhinos in Assam by expanding their distribution to reduce risks like disease, in-breeding and mass mortality.

"This successful translocation is a huge step forward for the survival of this magnificent species," said Sybille Klenzendorf, Director of Species Conservation at WWF US.

"It's amazing to see the hard work of so many people pay off with a safe, successful operation."

More translocations of rhinos planned for future

The first phase of wild-to-wild translocations under IRV 2020 was carried out in April of 2008 when two male rhinos were re-introduced into Manas National Park from Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary.

During the second phase, a total of eighteen rhinos will be translocated from Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary and Kaziranga National Park to Manas National Park in several batches. As with the earlier translocations, the adult female has been fitted with a radio-collar, and both will be monitored throughout the year by Manas National Park staff with support from WWF-India.