Rescued Rhino at CWRC Assam Wildlife Trust of India

"IFAW-WTI Team Rescues Wild Tiger From Well"

In a daring operation, an adult male tiger which had fallen into an open well, was rescued and released today by the forest department and the rescue team from International Fund for Animal Welfare and the Wildlife Trust of India (IFAW-WTI).

The tiger was noticed by local villagers yesterday morning in a well near Tezpur in the northern Indian Assam state and rescue team swung into action around midday when they were alerted by the forest officials. However, by the time they arrived at the site it had turned dark.

“We could reach the spot only by the evening and tried to rescue the tiger. But as it was getting dark, we had to abandon our attempts,” said Dr Abhijit Bhawal.

The operation was resumed this morning. Dr Prasanta Boro, veterinarian, Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation (CWRC), run by WTI and its partner International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), sedated the tiger with a dart.

Following the sedation, Dr Bhawal along with Lakhiram Das, animal keeper at CWRC, entered the well and created a sling with a rope around the tiger’s body. A crane was then used to pull the tiger out of the well.

The tiger was checked for injuries, put into a cage and moved to Nameri National Park. It was released late in the evening.

“This was an amazing rescue,” an exhilarated Dr Boro said. “We had to cross through Jia Bhoroli river on boats; the tiger was waking up, growling and getting violent, which did not help our nerves in the least.”

The rescue team also included Satya Prakash Vashishth, Divisional Forest Officer of Tezpur, Mr Gogoi, Range Officer, Dilip Deori, Field Officer, WTI, veterinarians Parag Deka and Binay Barman, and other forest department staff.

Where the tiger came from was, however, a mystery. “We do not know exactly how it fell into the well, but there was no apron at the mouth, so I am not surprised,” Dr Boro said.

Rathin Barman, coordinator, WTI said, “There was flash flood in the Nameri National Park which is 30 kilometers away, just two days ago and 40% of the area was submerged. The tiger could have been displaced by the flood.”

"REUNITED ELEPHANT CALF SURVIVES IN WILD DESPITE DEFORMITY"

A displaced wild elephant calf that was reunited with its natal herd in Kaziranga National Park a month ago was sighted earlier last week, confirming successful reintegration. The sighting has pleasantly surprised conservationists who had doubts about its survival, as the calf has a congenital deformity in its leg.

The calf was rescued by the Assam Forest Department officials from a marsh near Roumari on December 3 last year. It was provided medical treatment for its injuries and reunited with its natal herd soon after.

Dr Phulmoni Gogoi, Wildlife Trust of India – International Fund for Animal Welfare (WTI-IFAW) veterinarian, said, “I had treated the calf for an abscess in its hindlimb. She also had a congenital deformity in the right hind leg stifle joint. She could not flex the leg fully and had a limping gait. Although, the forest officials had reunited her with her natal herd, we were doubtful of her survival.”

On Tuesday, the calf was sighted by Dr Prasanta Boro, veterinarian at the WTI-IFAW run Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation (CWRC). He was on his way to release a hog deer, when he saw the calf among its herd near Karasine Camp in Kohora Range.

“We hadn’t got any information on the calf after its reunion. I believed that it had been predated upon. But when I saw the pictures taken by Dr Boro, I knew it was her,” Dr Gogoi confirmed, adding that the calf would have to be ‘as lucky’ to reach adulthood.

"800 Openbill Storks Die In Assam As Nesting Tree Collapses"

In a freak accident, more than 800 Asian openbill storks, mostly chicks and juveniles, were killed as the banyan tree on which they were nesting collapsed on Monday night.

Sixty-one birds which survived were brought to IFAW-WTI run Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation on Tuesday from Shilonijan in Karbi Anglong Autonomous District, where the incident happened.

Most of the admitted birds are chicks and fledglings. Many are severely injured, with fractures on the wings and legs,” said Dr Phulmoni Gogoi, CWRC veterinarian, during a brief break from a series of operations on the rescued birds.

“About 26 birds have succumbed to their injuries; condition of 12 of the remaining birds is critical,” said CWRC veterinarian, Dr Prasanta Boro.

Arup Ballav Goswami, Honorary Wildlife Warden, Karbi Anglong, said, “The incident occurred on Monday evening. There was no storm, so we are trying to find out how the tree broke all of a sudden. Local botanists have been contacted to determine the cause.”

According to speculations the tree could have broken because of a combined effect of the weight of the birds and weakening of the tree due to termite infestation.

Goswami added, “This is the breeding season for these birds so the casualty includes a lot of young birds. We did not see any eggs, but about 15 or 20 juvenile birds were found alive by the locals today. The birds are not able to fly yet. However, they are safe as they are being looked after by the locals.”

Openbill storks (Anastomus oscitans) are not a scheduled or threatened species and are widely distributed in South Asia.