Skip to content Skip to navigation

Buffaloes relocated

By Subhamoy Bhattacharjee |

Two hand-raised Asian Wild buffaloes from the IFAW-WTI run Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation (CWRC) were today released in Burhachapori Wildlife Sanctuary, Assam.

Agora, a male and Gerakati, a female were rescued in different circumstances in Kaziranga National Park when they were about month old age. Agora’s mother was found dead in 15th of December, 2012 while Gerakati was separated from its mother in 23rd of September, 2012. After rescue, both of them were placed at CWRC for further care and treatment.

The release site was selected after a joint survey of CWRC IFAW-WTI team and Assam Forest Department, led by P. Sivakumar, Conservator of Forest, Assam Forest Department and incharge of the Sanctuary.

“We welcome this wild buffalo rehabilitation effort of CWRC at Burachapori WLS. This will boost our continuous efforts to repopulate Burachapori WLS with important wildlife”, said P.Sivkumar, Conservator of Forest, Assam Forest Department and in-charge of the Burachapori WLS.

For the first few weeks after their release, the duo would be kept in a temporary enclosure for adaptation in the new landscape for a couple of months. As and when they adapt to their new surroundings, they will be released in the sanctuary. The IFAW-WTI team biologist along with the Assam Forest Department would continue to monitor the released animals for a stipulated time.

The 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.

Author info

Subhamoy Bhattacharjee's picture

Add new comment

Assamese Translator

Assam Times seeks English to Assamese translators!
Join our volunteer team.
Email editor@assamtimes.org.

Random Stories

Police-merchant meet

28 Nov 2012 - 5:10pm | Anup Biswas
To foil the evil design of anti-socials and extortionists in the name different groups, the Dima Hasao district police held a discussion with the merchants of Haflong town at Police Control room,...

Society for Srimanta Sankaradeva calls for rejuvenation of Namghar

15 May 2022 - 7:46pm | Dr Buljit Buragohain
The annual general meeting of Society for Srimanta Sankaradeva was held at Nagaon today. The members of the Society coming from different parts of the state attended it. Dr. Sanjib Kumar Borkakoti,...

Statue of Lord Buddha from Thailand unveiled in Guwahati

11 May 2017 - 11:58am | AT News
A statue from Thailand dedicated to Lord Buddha unveiled Buddha temple in Mitta Bhava Buddha Monastery Campus at Lokhora, Guwahati on Wednes day. On occasion of Buddha Purnima, one of the most...

Heat of protest against Sanjay

29 Jan 2014 - 2:30pm | AT News
Controversial UP political leader Dr Sanjay felt the heat of escalating protest hours after he accused the media of trying to dissociate the state from the mainstream.Hundreds of Karishak Mukti...

Other Contents by Author

Relocated rhino gives birth to calf

‘Jamuna’, a female rhino that had been rehabilitated into the wild by Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and the Assam Forest Department in 2010, has given birth to her second calf in Manas National Park, the UNESCO World Heritage Site, on Sunday morning. The calf was first seen by frontline forest staff of the Bansbari Range during their early morning patrol. Its presence was later confirmed by a field team of IFAW-WTI’s Greater Manas Conservation Project, comprising Dr Bhaskar Choudhury, WTI's Head Veterinarian (North East) and the project-in-charge, and animal keeper Debajit Saikia. “This is the sixth calf born to the rhinos rehabilitated...

Growing Wild: the rescued rhino calves

It’s been a year since Kaziranga National Park was inundated by the worst floods to have hit Assam in over a decade. Among the 100-plus wild animal emergencies that CWRC (the Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation: the wildlife rescue, treatment and rehabilitation centre run by Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and the Assam Forest Department near Kaziranga) and its Mobile Veterinary Service units attended during the floods last year, were eight orphaned rhino calves that were rescued and brought to the centre to be hand-raised. The simultaneous long-term care of eight rhinos has been a massive challenge for the team at CWRC. In...

Elephant specialists to meet on Nov 10-12

A convention of the Asian Elephant Specialist Group (AsESG), the IUCN (World Conservation Union) Species Survival Commission’s voluntary group of experts for the management and conservation of Asia's elephants, will get underway at Guwahati on November 10-12. The three-day convention will be attended by representatives of 11 Asian elephant range countries as well as presenters and observers from ‘non-elephant’ countries like the United Kingdom and United States of America.

Dr Borah stresses literature’s unifying role

Dr Dhrubajyoti Borah, President, Asam Sahitya Sabha, released the Poetry special issue of Eka Ebong Koekjan, the foremost Bengali literary journal from North East, before an august gathering of writers and intellectuals at Karmasree Hiteswar Saikia Auditorium, Pandu on Sunday. Dr Borah lauded Eka Ebong Koekjan for its untiring efforts through 37 long years to disseminate the richness and diversity of the literature of Assam and the North East to the greater Bengali diaspora. He said that literature has a unifying and harmonising role to play in building up a greater Assamese society incorporating diverse linguistic and ethnic groups in its fold. He defined ‘Asomiya’ as one who is...

107 Wild rescue cases in Kaziranga Flood

Mobile Veterinary Service (MVS) units of the Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation (CWRC) – the wildlife rescue, care and rehabilitation facility jointly run by Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), Assam Forest Department (AFD) and International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) – have attended 107 wildlife rescue cases in the ongoing flood crisis in Kaziranga National Park as of August 1. Kaziranga, one of India’s UNESCO world heritage sites, has faced a major wildlife crisis this year due to what are being described as the worst floods in a decade. As large areas of the park are inundated in the annual monsoon floods, wild animals seek higher ground across National Highway 37...

Forests Minister visited CWRC

Pramila Rani Brahma, Environment and Forests minister of newly formed Assam government visited Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation (CWRC), the wildlife care facility jointly run by Assam Forest Department, Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) and International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) as part of her two-days visit to Kaziranga National Park on Thursday.

A Royal Couple, Orphaned Animals and a Painted Elephant

Their Royal Highnesses William and Catherine, Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, this afternoon visited IFAW-WTI’s Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation (CWRC) near Kaziranga National Park, Assam. CWRC, run by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) with support from the Assam Forest Department, is the only facility in India where orphaned and/or injured wild animals of several species are hand-raised and/or treated and subsequently returned to the wild. As of March 2016 the Centre had handled 4,322 animal cases, with 2,465 being released back to the wild – a rehabilitation rate of nearly 60 percent. Their Royal Highnesses...

Conservationist Ashok Kumar honoured

Ashok Kumar, Founder & Chairman Emeritus, Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) was honoured with the Sanctuary Legend Award at the prestigious Earth Heroes event held at NTPA auditorium in Mumbai today. The Legend Award is a new honour started by Sanctuary this year. With a career in wildlife spanning over five decades Ashok Kumar’s contribution to conservation is immeasurable. A pioneer in many ways, he has a strong hand in ensuring that Sansar Chand, the most dangerous wildlife trader ever to have operated in India, stayed behind bars. He set up TRAFFIC in India and conducted a milestone seizure of tiger derivatives during his tenure there. At a time when nobody spoke about seeking...

Arunachal youth talks on asiatic black bear conservation

In a first of its kind sensitization programme on Asiatic black bears, 14 youth from Shergaon - a small but important area in Arunachal Pradesh – were taken on an exposure visit to IFAW-WTI run Centre for Bear Rehabilitation and Conservation (CBRC) in Pakke Tiger Reserve. At CBRC, the visitors were briefed about the importance and need for conservation of wildlife and bio-diversity in Arunachal Pradesh. Shergaon falls in the West Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh and the residents are predominantly Sherdukpten, a tribe Buddhist by religion. To effectively spread the message of wildlife conservation among the villagers of Shergaon, IFAW-WTI partnered with a local NGO named Garung Thuk....

Wanted wildlife trader arrested

In a covert operation assisted by WTI, Hari Singh and Munni, husband and wife, were apprehended in Gwalior and 27.5 kgs of pangolin scales were seized from them. It is a huge development in busting the pangolin trade racket since they are a crucial link to the trade that has been flourishing for the last few years. Madhya Pradesh Forest Department (MPFD) in co-operation with Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) was able to apprehend the accused after a regular and steady surveillance using phone and modern tracking devices. Pangolin scales are high on demand for various reasons and the trade has been going on for several years. However, this has been the first major development in busting...