Guwahati, Jan 21: Two male one-horned rhinoceroses rescued after sustaining injuries during floods were translocated on Tuesday from the Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation (CWRC) to Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve (KNPTR) in Assam.

The rhinos five-year-old Chandra, rescued in August 2020, and four-year-old Kanai, rescued in August 2021 had been undergoing treatment and rehabilitation at CWRC since their rescue. Following completion of their recovery, they were moved to Kaziranga as part of the park’s rehabilitation and rewilding programme.

The translocation was carried out in line with international conservation translocation protocols. Necessary permissions were obtained from the Chief Wildlife Warden of Assam under the Wildlife (Protection) Act. A site selection committee identified suitable locations for setting up pre-release enclosures within Kaziranga.

Both animals have been placed in a pre-release enclosure inside the park, where they will gradually acclimatise to natural conditions before being released into the wild.

The operation was led by a team of veterinarians under CWRC Centre-in-Charge Bhaskar Choudhury, with support from trained animal keepers. Officials present during the process included Kaziranga Field Director Sonali Ghosh, Divisional Forest Officer Arun Vignesh, range officers, and wildlife experts Rathin Barman, Kaushik Barua, and Anupam Sarmah.

An official said the translocation reflects the park’s established rehabilitation protocols, particularly for flood-affected wildlife such as one-horned rhinos.

CWRC was established in 2002 by the Assam Forest Department in collaboration with the Wildlife Trust of India and the International Fund for Animal Welfare. The centre focuses on rescuing and rehabilitating flood-affected and orphaned wildlife from the Kaziranga landscape. According to official data, CWRC has rescued more than 7,397 animals from 357 species, with around 4,490 successfully released back into the wild. Earlier, 25 hand-raised rhinos were released, including 23 in Manas National Park and two in Kaziranga.