Skip to content Skip to navigation

A Royal Couple, Orphaned Animals and a Painted Elephant

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visit IFAW-WTI’s Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation, interact with orphaned elephants and rhinos, and paint an elephant with schoolchildren.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visit IFAW-WTI’s Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation, interact with orphaned elephants and rhinos, and paint an elephant with schoolchildren.


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 arrived at the Centre at half past noon and were accompanied around the grounds by WTI Executive Director Vivek Menon and IFAW President & CEO Azzedine Downes, as well as the lead veterinarian Panjit Basumatary and the centre-in-charge Rathin Barman.

They interacted with the animal keepers and even hand fed some of the orphaned animals being reared at CWRC – elephant calves Buree and Murphuli, just a few months old when they were rescued last October, now being raised on milk formula under the watchful eyes of their keepers; and Dunga, a male rhino, the youngest and newest resident at CWRC and the best of friends with the two female elephant calves.


The royal highnesses were relaxed from their early morning safari in the park and seemed at ease, feeding the orphaned animals at CWRC. The Duchess was most interested in knowing more about the youngest rhino calf at the Centre. A specially created photo album with information on each animal they saw was given to the royal couple .

 We are delighted that Their Royal Highnesses made time to visit the IFAW- WTI centre and meet staff and the animals under care,” said Azzedine Downes, President & CEO, IFAW. “With elephants and rhinos in particular facing an uncertain future due to habitat loss, human conflict and poaching, IFAW is pleased that the Duke and Duchess are able to raise public awareness of these threats to an international audience.”


India’s biodiversity is a global treasure, and every rescued animal that we successfully rehabilitate and release helps rebuild endangered wild populations,” said Vivek Menon, Executive Director & CEO, WTI. “We are proud to share all that the CWRC staff have accomplished with the Duke and Duchess, and grateful that the Royal couple is using their influence to share it with the world.”


Urgent Corridors and the Birth of Aana


Their Royal Highnesses were then escorted to the site of the upcoming Kaziranga Discovery Park, a clinic for (and learning centre on) Asian elephants being developed by the UK-based NGO Elephant Family in collaboration with WTI.


Elephant Family has also partnered with IFAW, WTI, World Land Trust and IUCN Netherlands to form the Asian Elephant Alliance, a partnership of conservation organisations launched last year to arrest the crisis facing the world’s remaining Asian elephants, of which 60 percent (an estimated 30,000) are in India.

While India has long celebrated and revered its elephants, its rapid economic development has meant that traditional elephant lands are now being used by people for agriculture, roads, railway lines, mines, dams and the like. Conflict between humans and displaced elephants presently costs the country over 400 human and 100 elephant lives every year, and millions of rupees in crop and property damage.


As the Royal couple sat on cane murahs (chairs) under a thatched sit-out, WTI CEO Vivek Menon briefed them about the importance of elephant corridors, which allow elephants safe passage between and adjacent to protected habitats without intrusion into human-use areas. The Asian Elephant Alliance has prioritised the securement of 100 such corridors identified in India, and aims to raise £20m for this cause.


It is estimated that 500,000 Indian families are affected by Human Elephant Conflict annually and people who live in elephant corridors fear for their lives and livelihoods. Ruth Powys, CEO of Elephant family introduced Their Royal Highnesses to villagers from Ram Terang, located in the autonomous tribal Karbi Anglong hills in Assam, which earlier lay right in the middle of an ancient elephant route. Elephant Family, WTI and the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council came together to build New Ram Terang, a better equipped and safer village 6 km uphill from the corridor. The villagers shifted into their new homes in November 2015, and their representatives here, including children, spoke with the Royal couple about their experiences before and after the relocation.


Finally, Their Royal Highnesses were taken to be introduced to renowned Indian artist Bulbul Sharma, 15 schoolchildren (and their headmistress) from the nearby village of Panbari, and a large painted model elephant named Aana.


Aana, which simply means ‘elephant’ in Malayalam, is a collaborative creation between Bulbul Sharma and the schoolchildren. It depicts the joy of children celebrating elephants in the vibrant colours of India, and the myriad flora and fauna that are protected by conserving the elephant as a keystone species. It also marks a call to action for other Indian creative artists to participate in Elephant Parade 2017 – an event where life-sized baby elephant statues, painted by artists and celebrities, are exhibited in international cities to raise awareness for elephant conservation.


Their Royal Highnesses were handed paintbrushes to put the finishing touches to Aana. Prince William broke open a coconut to signify, in auspicious Indian style, the launch of the Elephant Parade in India.


“We are thrilled Their Royal Highnesses have been able to join Elephant Family and the Wildlife Trust of India at Kaziranga Discovery Park to see first-hand the important animal conservation work that goes on here”, said Ruth Powys, CEO, Elephant Family. The Royal visit also marks Elephant Family’s call to India’s creative artists to participate in creating the Elephant Parade 2017 – where 300 model elephants will be hand painted with stunning designs and showcased across Mumbai and Delhi to raise funds and awareness for India’s National Heritage Animal.”


Add new comment

Random Stories

Thai team talks business with FINER

27 Nov 2014 - 12:08pm | AT News
 There is no dearth of scope for Thailand to invest in the north eastern region. Mention may be made of tourism, food processing, organic farming, water management, education, waterways and...

Body recovered in Kokrajhar

23 Jul 2015 - 12:45pm | Hantigiri Narzary
Sensation prevails in Kokrajhar following the recovery of a body on Thursday morning.Local residents in North Kashibari village spotted the ody from the Tarang River early in the morning sending...

Manipur Panchayat polls on Oct 7

6 Oct 2017 - 8:08am | AT News Imphal
In the BJP-ruled Manipur, decks have been cleared to hold the 5th general Panchayat polls in six districts of the valley, including Kakching and Jiribam slated for October 7. The State...

Sal logs seized

17 Jun 2015 - 7:12pm | Hantigiri Narzary
ecurity firces belonging to Police and CRPF Cobra team seized a truck carrying illegal Sal logs from Alangi area under Kokrajgar police ststion of  Kokrajhar district today.The truck bearing...

Other Contents by Author

Villagers in the Manas  National Park area taking part in a skill development workshop where improved Chulha isbeing made targeting commercial establishments - hotels and restaurants, schools and households in the  vicinity to forest boundary. The programme is organized by IFAW-WTI on Wednesday. 20 participants from Kokrajhar, Chirang and Baksa have been trained with tehnical guidance from Assam Energy Development Agency.  
Marking a milestone in efforts to secure a crucial elephant corridor in northeast India, residents of Ram Terang Village have now a new address- "New Ram Terang Village", which is nearing completion. All the 19 families of Ram Terang have willingly and voluntarily decided to relocate outside the Kalapahar-Daigrung elephant corridor to provide safe passage for elephants.  The New Ram Terang Village was dedicated to the memory of Mark Shand, the Founder of the Elephant Family, well-known for its work for welfare of Asian elephants on Wednesday,11th November 2015. The colourful ceremony kicked off with a traditional welcome and the unveiling of terracotta reliefs dedicated to Mark Shand...
A clinic for elephants of the northeast was inaugurated at the upcoming Mark Shand Memorial Learning Centre by Sir Evelyn de Rothschild, Founding Patron of the UK based charity Elephant Family and its CEO Ruth Powys in the presence of distinguished guests and a colourful audience from the neighbouring villages. The facility, named after legendary conservationist Mark Shand, is a part of the Kaziranga Discovery Park, coming up opposite the IFAW-WTI and Assam Forest Department run Centre of Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation near Kaziranga National Park today. Inaugurating the facility, Sir Evelyn de Rothschild congratulated the team and all the people who built the facility. “Mark was...
New Delhi seems to have turned into a safe den of international smugglers where forest. Of late, it has become a route of racketeers where wild animal parts are smuggled. A joint team of Kerala forest department, Wildlife Crime Control Bureau and Delhi Police seized 487 kg of ivory during an operation in the national capital on Monday.The covert operation was conducted is the result of the Operation Shikar where a person was arrested on October 2. Identified as Umesh Aggrawal, he was believed to have made the huge revelation during interrogation who is suspected to be the kingpin of the illegal ivory trade. This came to light from the detailed analysis of call records of middlemen...
Wildlife Trust of India with Assam forest department and International Fund for Animal Welfare is celebrating the week with lot of activities across Assam and northeast.In the beginning of this week the organization rescued and released a hog badger,  a nearly threatened Schedule –I uncommon specie as per IUCN/WPA/Indian Status in Kaziranga National Park on Monday.All this action (Rescue-Clinical Examination-Observation and release) has happened within 24-hours time frame, one of the quickest rescue and release of wildlife in Kaziranga.The rarely seen strange looking animal by the people but mostly visible in Kaziranga landscape was a full grown female with 10.516 Kg, when the centre...
Thirty- seven school teachers from the fringe villages of Greater Manas attended the Animal Action Education (AAE) workshop conducted by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and Wildlife Trust of India (WTI)  at Central Institute of Technology (CIT) in Kokrajhar, the capital city of Bodoland in Assam. The one day workshop conducted on 23rd September 2015 was supported by Elementary Education Department and was organised in association with Assam Forest Department and Bodoland Territorial Council.The main objective of the workshop was to spread awareness about keynote species existing in the forest habitat of Greater Manas landscape in Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC)...
Two units of Mobile Veterinary Service (MVS) run by Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation (CWRC) -- an IFAW-WTI wildlife care facility -- have attended to 11 cases of displaced wild animals during the ongoing flood crisis in Kaziranga National Park. Supported by Assam Forest Department, the MVS units have been on alert ever since the Brahmaputra began flowing above the danger mark. These rescue cases happened between September 1 to 6.Out of the 11 rescued animals, two hog deer and a wild boar were released in the Kaziranga National Park by the MVS team. Meanwhile, five hog deer died during the floods and most of them succumbed to road hits on NH-37. A female Eastern swamp...
Physical demarcation of the Kalapahar-Daigurung elephant corridor in Karbi Anglong district got a formal boost after a foundation stone was erected at a ceremony organised by Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), under the guidance of Dr Abhijit Rabha, IFS, Additional PCCF, Karbi Anglong Forest Department. The foundation laying ceremony was attended by senior officials of Wildlife Trust of India, Assam Forest Department and heads of villages that fall within the corridor on Sunday,6th September 2015.Unveiling the foundation stone, Dr Rabha, said, “This is the first of its kind corridor securement project in the northeast India. I hope with the joint effort of Wildlife Trust of India-Elephant...
Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC) authority formally handed over the newly built MVS Field Station to Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) at a function in Diphu, the district head quarter of Karbi Anglong, Assam today.Pradip Signar, the honourable Executive Member (Forest) of Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC) handed over the facility in presence of  Dr. Abhijit Rabha, Additional PCCF of Karbi Anglong Forest Department.  Signar wished that the rescue and rehabilitation center will bear fruit in building the bridge between people and wildlife in the hill district of Assam.While welcoming the august gathering at the inauguration of the MVS field station, Dr Abhijit Rabha,...
Uttar Sarathi, one of the oldest football club of Guwahati city located at Pandu is organising “The 5th Rana Memorial One Day Football Tournament” in memory of once promising footballer Late Rana Das of Pandu, who died at an early age.Like previous four years, the one day football tournament is organised at Uttar Sarathi Playground connecting independence day celebration at Pandu on 15th August 2015.The last day of joining the popular seven a side football tournament is on 14th August 2015, informed Jayanta Banik, sports secretary of the club through a press release. Contact: 9435204576.