Chester Zoo support Indian project to move rhinos

Feb 9 2011 Chester Chronicle

SUPPORT from Chester Zoo support has enabled the relocation of Indian rhinos in Assam in India.

In a move to ensure the survival of this vulnerable species, four rhinos - one male and three females - were translocated from Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary to Manas National Park.

The animals join two females that were moved to Manas in late December, and five rhinos (two males and three females) that were moved in 2008.

Funding from the zoo, a conservation charity, played a part in helping the move go ahead.

Indian rhinos are a conservation success story. The species has recovered from about 200 animals in the early 1990s to more than 2,850 today.

Resembling living armoured tanks, the species is a popular zoo animal – about 175 Indian rhinos live in 66 zoos around the world.

As a result of increasing commitment to conservation, zoos from Europe, Australia and the United States have joined forces to support the rhino moves.

Pobitora, where the four rhinos were captured, boasts the highest density of rhinos in the world, with more than 90 rhinos in less than 18 square kilometers (4,450 acres) of rhino habitat. To minimize the chance of loss from disease and other disasters, the rhinos need to be spread among other parks.

The translocations will lessen pressure on Pobitora’s rhinos for food and space, and hopefully reduce the number of rhinos straying into nearby villages which can lead to injuries to people and animals.

Moving a rhino is no easy task – the moves are the result of months of meticulous planning for every possible situation that might arise from capture to release – all with the aim of keeping both the animals and the people involved safe.

Under the guidance of veterinarians, field workers, park guards, conservationists and forest department officials, the four animals were captured and released within 24 hours.

Veterinarians darted the animals with tranquilizers, then transported them 250 km in crates specially-designed to hold the 1.5 to 2 ton pachyderms.ŠEach rhino is radio-collared and will be closely monitored by WWF-India and Manas National Park staff.

The translocations are the backbone of the ambitious Indian Rhino Vision (IRV) 2020 - a partnership among the government of Assam, the International Rhino Foundation, the World Wide Fund for Nature, the Bodoland Territorial Council, and the US Fish & Wildlife Service - that aims to attain a population of 3,000 wild rhinos in seven of Assam's protected areas by the year 2020.

Dr Roger Wilkinson, Chester Zoo’s Head of Field Conservation and Research, said: “Chester Zoo’s conservation efforts extend beyond the zoo’s boundaries and assistance from organisations such as ours can make a real difference to species everywhere. The translocation of these rhinos is a real success story and one that we are proud to support.”

It is not the first time the zoo has supported Manas National Park. In 2008 it provided funding to help reduce the risk of poaching, human-wildlife conflict, disease transmission and ultimately protecting the habitat. Community projects were also supported.