IFAW's Animal Rescue Blog

IFAW-rehabilitated Clouded Leopards go wild in India!

IFAW-WTI’s Shibani Chaudhury just spent a day out in the forest with two endangered clouded leopards undergoing rehabilitation in Northeast, India. This is her report from the field:

In 3 seconds they shot down to the forest floor, from their enclosure held on a platform 12 feet high, and before you could blink they had bounded up a tree and disappeared high into the canopy!

Two self propelled bolts of lightning the two clouded leopard cubs being rehabilitated by IFAW-WTI in collaboration with the Assam Forest Department and the Bodo Territorial Council were all set to walk, or rather shoot across the forest to their new, larger enclosure a little distance away.

Rescued in March this year by the Assam Forest Department, the cubs were hand raised at the IFAW-WTI Mobile Veterinary Service (MVS) station in Kokrajhar and moved to their rehab site in Kochugaon, western Assam on the 24th of September.

Weak and utterly vulnerable when they first arrived, the two little cubs were meticulously nurtured by the team for about 5 months at the Kokrajhar centre before being shifted to the rehabilitation site.

The journey into the forest was an arduous one. 26 rough kms off the highway – the forest road, post the monsoon, was a challenging slush and slide track; negotiated only because of the high powered trucks provided by the Eco Task force of the SSB, a wing of the Indian Army. The area being prone to political unrest, security was also provided by the SSB for the transfer of the cubs to the forest.

Initially they were walked in harnesses by their keeper in the forest. Within the first two weeks the cubs were quite at home in the forest dashing up and down trees. Gradually they were eased out of their harnesses during the walks and allowed to explore their surroundings independently.

More orphaned bear cubs head for the wild in India

 

Three orphaned Asiatic black bear cubs are being walked inside Pakke Tiger Reserve located in India’s Northeast state of Arunachal Pradesh. Achieving acclimatization is an essential step towards full rehabilitation and release back to the wild.

The rehabilitation is being carried out by the Arunachal Pradesh Forest Department and IFAW-WTI (International Fund for Animal Welfare – Wildlife Trust of India). In two similar attempts in 2006 and 2007 respectively, seven black bear cubs were rehabilitated in Pakke. Additionally, last year, three orphaned bear cubs were released in Manas National Park in Assam, following prolonged acclimatization.

“Pakke Tiger Reserve spreads over 800 sq km and has many sites suitable to rehabilitate Asiatic black bear cubs. In the first two attempts, the bears were rehabilitated in Upper Dikarai and Khari Pong. The current release site near Doigurung anti-poaching camp, as with the earlier sites, was selected following a study on the suitability for the cubs in terms of habitat, food availability, security etc,” said Dr NVK Ashraf, Director, Wild Rescue Programme, WTI.

Currently, near Doigurung in Pakke, the three cubs are taken for daily walks accompanied by a human foster ‘mother’. The walks provide these orphaned cubs an opportunity to acquaint themselves to the natural environment, and to instinctively learn skills necessary for independent survival.

IFAW's Ian Robinson on Releasing Water Buffalo Back into the Wild

Ian Robinson is the International Fund for Animal Welfare’s Emergency Relief program director, he recently spent four weeks in India working with our partner organizations and visiting projects…

The mighty Brahmaputra river flows down from the Himalayas and across the breadth of Assam, before entering Bangladesh and emptying into the Bay of Bengal. The heavy monsoon rains bring floods – both a blessing and a curse. Silt washed from the soils of the high Himalayas brings great fertility to the floodplain each year, which not only supports the rice paddies of the human population, but a great wealth of natural flora and fauna, making this area a biodiversity hot spot.

When the floods run high, they drive both people and animals from their homes, seeking the safety of higher ground. On this journey many animals become displaced as they run a gauntlet of human development that surrounds each National Park in the region, and commonly infants get separated from their mothers. Which is how IFAW ended up with two wild buffalo calves to rear, rehabilitate and return to the wild in the first place...

The National Park of Dibru – Sikova is an island entirely surrounded by the Brahmaputra river, an ideal habitat for water loving wild buffalo. Hand reared at our rescue center on the outskirts of Kaziranga National Park, these two young buffalo were transferred a year ago to a large electric fenced release paddock on the island. This move was a feat in itself, with over a hundred people involved in carrying the buffalo, each in a wooden crate supported on long bamboo poles – teams of 20 – 30 people took it in turns to carry the crates the 3km from the boat to the release paddock.

Elephant calf stuck in mud pit rescued and reunited with mother

A wild elephant calf, stuck in a mud pit in a tea garden near Kaziranga National Park in the North eastern Indian state of Assam, was rescued and reunited with its mother, by the Assam Forest Department assisted by the International Fund for Animal Welfare and partner Wildlife Trust of India.

The male calf, about four-years old, was found trapped in the mud pit in Kanchanjuri, Bagori Range, Kaziranga. The distressed mother, who remained in the vicinity of the trapped calf, reportedly damaged a bicycle as people approached the calf.

“The mother was nearby and would respond to the calf’s calls and try to approach the pit every time it called. The forest guards kept watch and even fired in the air to scare away the mother, while we tried to rescue the calf,” said Dr Phulmoni Gogoi, IFAW-WTI Mobile Veterinary Service (MVS) veterinarian, who attended the rescue.

Dry earth was put into the pit to enable the calf to climb out on its own.

“The calf was healthy, just a bit fatigued by its repeated efforts to extricate itself from the slippery mud in the pit. However as soon as it got out of the pit, it started chasing all of us! It eventually headed off to follow its mother,” Dr Gogoi said.

Annually, a number of Asian elephant calves are separated from their herds due to natural or man-made causes in Assam among other Indian states. IFAW-WTI, through its MVS units in Central and Lower Assam, has attended to seven wild elephants this year, of which five have been released following necessary interventions.

IFAW India: Critically ill leopard treated and released in Assam

This brief update was filed by the International Fund for Animal Welfare's partner the Wildlife Trust of India. Shibani Chaudhury, their General Manager for Communications and Planning penned the post below:

Dinjan (Assam), September 30, 2009: A sub-adult female leopard, found in a critical state on September 9 in Dinjan Military Station, Dibrugarh, Assam, was released in Joypur Reserve Forest last week by the Forest Department, following treatment provided with the assistance of the veterinarians from the Army and IFAW-WTI.

The leopard was found in a ditch within the military station. Dr Anurag Kohli, Lieutenant Colonel and Remote Veterinary Corp, began the treatment immediately. The Army personnel informed the Forest Department authorities.

“The leopard had no external injury, but passed blood stained stool and was vomiting. We suspected it to be a case of feline enteritis. It was sedated to administer the medication. Saline infusion was made as it was dehydrated. It was injected with antibiotics and painkillers, and oral supplements was provided laced in meat chunks. It recovered quite well,” said Dr Abhijit Bhawal, veterinarian of the Mobile Veterinary Services – Upper Assam, run by the Forest Department and IFAW-WTI.

Traumatized slow loris released after treatment in IFAW field station

A slow loris (Nycticebus bengalensis) rescued from Dholagaon near Dibru Saikhowa Wildlife Sanctuary by the Assam Forest Department, was released following treatment by the International Fund for Animal Welfare and Wildlife Trust of India's Mobile Veterinary Service (MVS) unit, last month. The loris reportedly lost grip while attempting to cross between two trees on a cable wire, and fell into a bush.

“A crowd gathered when they saw the loris walking on the cable. The loris must have slipped while it hurried to escape the gaze of the onlookers,” said Dr Abhijit Bhawal, veterinarian of the MVS, who accompanied the Forest Department officials during the rescue.

“It’s injuries were minor, and it seemed more shaken on seeing so many people, than due to the fall,” he added.

The loris was taken to the MVS field station in Dibru Saikhowa Wildlife Sanctuary for stabilization. Its injuries were treated, and following two days of observation it was released in the wild in the Kayatia camp in Dibru Saikhowa.

A shy, nocturnal primate, slow loris is listed under Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife Protection Act. Main threats to lorises include habitat degradation, poaching for bushmeat and trade in parts for traditional medicines as well as in live animals sold as pets. In 2007, the genus Nycticebus comprising at least three species, was upgraded from Appendix II to Appendix I in the UN’s Convention on International Trade of Edangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) database.

For more information on how you can help rescue animals like this slow loris, go to www.ifaw.org

Endangered Hoolock gibbon under care at the IFAW Wildlife Rescue Center in India

An infant western Hoolock gibbon (Hoolock hoolock) rescued from Borgaon near Dibru Saikhowa Wildlife Sanctuary late last week, was admitted to the IFAW Wildlife Rescue Center in India last week for hand-raising and possible rehabilitation. The mother of the gibbon was found dead.

Dr Abhijit Bhawal, veterinarian of the IFAW-WTI Mobile Veterinary Service (MVS) in Upper Assam, assisted the Assam Forest Department during the gibbon’s rescue. It was kept by a local household for about a day. After persuasion, the local family, who had planned to raise the gibbon themselves, handed it over to the authorities.

The gibbon was immediately stabilized in the MVS field station in Dibru Saikhowa WLS, before it was transferred to rescue center.

“The gibbon is 3-4 month-old male, and is dependent on milk for food. The mother had perhaps died about 9-10 days ago. We saw the carcass, but as it was putrefied the cause of death could not be ascertained,” Dr Bhawal said. “The infant gibbon must have been really hungry when the local family found it near the mother’s carcass, screaming…” Dr. Prasanta Boro, one of the center’s vets, said that the gibbon is weak, perhaps due to lack of food, and that it was in a state of trauma. ‘We are not sure how long it went without food after its mother died. At the moment, we are feeding it with vitamins and mineral-enriched milk formula, but it is not taking food as a normal young gibbon would. It seems to be emotionally disturbed, almost depressed.”

The Hoolock gibbon is the only ape found in India, with its distribution localized in the northeastern states. Extremely agile arboreal primates, the Indian population, comprising two species – western Hoolock gibbon and eastern Hoolock gibbon (Hoolock leuconedys), is threatened by habitat fragmentation caused by jhum cultivation and mining, among other reasons. They also face persecution for trade.

Endangered rhino calf admitted to the IFAW Wildlife Rescue Center in India after being abandoned by its mother

An endangered Asiatic One-horned rhino calf found alone near a settlement adjacent to Kaziranga National Park was transferred to the International Fund for Animal Welfare’s Wildlife Rescue Center in India for care last week.

The calf, a two-month old male, was found in Panchgharia, a settlement comprised of five households, near Haldibari camp in the Kohora range of Kaziranga. The calf is believed to have been left behind by its mother during a mating attempt by a male rhino.

Dr. Phulmoni Gogoi, a veterinarian at the center, visited the site, on being informed by the Forest Department officials. The calf was dehydrated so it was quickly stabilized with an electrolyte solution.

Attempts to reunite the calf with the mother were made by the Forest Department officials assisted by Dr Gogoi. The efforts continued today as well, but had to be abandoned as the calf appeared to be weakening.

“The calf was suffering from dehydration. Its condition was worse today. It also had congestion in its eyes and had a high temperature. We had planned to stay overnight to try the reunion again, but deteriorating health condition of the calf compelled us to move it to the center for critical care,” said Dr Gogoi.

“If the calf recovers soon, and if the mother is located, the reunion will be tried again. We have asked the locals to call us if they hear or see signs of the mother.” Rhinos, unlike elephants, have a limited home range and hence the mothers can be more easily tracked. This is the third rhino calf to be admitted to the IFAW-run center in 2009. The total number of endangered rhino calves currently being hand-raised at the center has now reached four.

Three of the older rhino calves hand-raised at IFAW’s Wildlife Rescue Center were rehabilitated in Manas National Park in western Assam, in an unprecedented reintroduction program. Manas had lost all of its rhinos to poachers during the political unrest that continued from the late 1980s to the 90s.

IFAW-rehabilitated Clouded leopards closer to release

Two orphaned clouded leopard cubs currently rehabilitated by International Fund for Animal Welfare staff continue to thrive and show positive signs in their road towards release back to the forests of Northeast India.

The cubs rescued in April are now 4 months old and have been weaned off milk. They each eat about 250 grams of meat every day and weigh around 3 and half kilos (7.7 pounds) each! Their body coat color is now prominent with black and white patches, a distinctive skeleton-like mark that has marveled humans for so long but is unfortunately prized by hunters. Little is known about this animal’s behavior as it is one of the most reclusive of feline species.

Clouded leopards are arboreal cats making them excellent climbers. During their time in rehabilitation they have been encouraged to test and learn the climbing skills and play-fight for hours on end, excellent habits that will prove vital for their survival in the wild.

IFAW staff in India has already visited 3 prospective release sites and have narrowed down a suitable location. Once the logistics and necessary permits are cleared, the cubs will be back in the forest, a significant step for the conservation of these endangered animals.

To learn more about our efforts to protect and preserve endangered animals, go to www.ifaw.org .

IFAW-WTI: Three hand-raised bears return to the wild in Assam, India

Manas National Park (Assam), May 29, 2009: Three orphaned Asiatic black bears, hand-raised by the IFAW-WTI (International Fund for Animal Welfare – Wildlife Trust of India), have been returned to the wild in Manas National Park, Assam, following a sustained period of on-site acclimatisation.

“Unlike in the initial stages of their rehabilitation, the bears haven’t returned to the acclimatisation camp. We have been tracking them with the help of radio-collars fitted during the last phase of their rehabilitation,” said Dr Bhaskar Choudhury, IFAW-WTI veterinarian in-charge of the project.

The bears were rescued by the Assam Forest Department in three different incidents from local people who had held them captive around March 2008. They were handed over to the lower Assam unit of IFAW-WTI Mobile Veterinary Services (MVS) for hand-raising and eventual rehabilitation.

Barely few months old when confiscated, the bear cubs were hand-raised at the field station of the MVS unit at Kokrajhar. In mid 2008, the bears were relocated to the release site in Doimari range, Manas NP, near the Indo-Bhutan border, for a soft-release programme, specifically termed ‘assisted release’.