Confirming that UNESCO has put Manas and Keoladeo National Parks in

Bolstered by the success of translocating the first batch of one-horned rhinos to Manas National Park under the Indian Rhino Vision Plan 2020, the Assam Forest Department is now preparing for sending two more rhinos to the park. While the first two rhinos released on April 12 were males from Pobitora Sanctuary, the next rhinos selected for translocation would be two females, also from Pobitora.

The Manas National park and Manas Tiger project authority conducted a census on elephants within the park recently.

A full-grown leopard, which came from the Ripu Reserve Forest to No. 2 Panbai village under Kachugaon police outpost could not be saved despite the efforts of Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) personnel, forest guards and local people to catch it alive. In an interview to The Sentinel, DFO, Kachugaon, RN Boro said the full-grown leopard came to the Panbari area on Thursday morning. The leopard turned furious as it was chased by the people of the area, Boro said, adding that forest guards rushed to the spot immediately. The department made all efforts to catch the leopard alive and asked for tranquillizers from the Manas National Park (MNP) authority. He said the SSB personnel were also pressed into the rescue operation. Boro expressed that the Ripu Reserve Forest is the home for various endangered species but there is no tranquillizer with the forest department officials to catch the wild animals when they appear near human habitation. The tranquillizer, which was brought from Manas National Park to rescue the leopard had a only one bullet. There were chances that if the bullet missed the target, the shooter might have to face the wrath of the wild animal, Boro said adding, an SSB jawan who took the initiative to shoot from a close range was lucky enough as the leopard jumped over him and the other jawans chased it with lathis. The DFO said at least three persons of the locality were injured by the leopard. The forest department, finding it difficult to tranquillize it, rounded up the area with SSB personnel and local people and started to fire crackers to bring out the leopard from its hideout but it did not do so. Till the filing of the report, the forest guards were still guarding the area to check if it was still there. RN Boro told The Sentinel that the leopard never stayed at a same place but roamed around for food. He said the leopard might have gone back to the jungle at night as they did not get any evidence of its presence at Panbari during the check. On the other hand, the local people, when contacted by The Sentinel, said they heard three rounds of gunshots. Sources also added that some armed youths came after sunset and they killed the leopard and took it away somewhere. The sources, on condition of anonymity revealed that the leopard was a female and its organs were cut away by the miscreants as the people in remote areas believe that it stops unprecedented bleeding of women during childbirth. This kind of medical treatment has been prevalent throughout the rural areas due to the presence of witch-doctors and quacks, who allegedly claim to have the cures for all ailments. DFO (Social Forest) Sonali Ghosh was also present along with Rangers, Deputy Rangers on Thursday. It may be mentioned here that in 2006, another leopard was killed under the same range and even on earlier occasions, the villagers have killed two leopards.

The Manas National Park in Assam has received its fourth one-horned rhino, seven years after its approximately 100-strong population was wiped out by poachers. On February 24, the one-and-a-half-year-old female rhino was released in the Kuribeel area of the Bansbari range in the park. The four rhinos, all orphaned female, rescued by the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), its partner the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), and the Assam Forest Department, were hand-raised at the Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation near the Kaziranga National Park. The first three rhinos were transferred to Manas by the WTI-IFAW in 2006. Releasing the rhinos, A.K. Swargiary, Director of the park, expressed the hope that this action would mark the beginning of the revival of the rhino population there. This would be followed by wild-to-wild transfer by the Indian Rhino Vision 2020 team. The last native rhino in the park, a female, was killed by poachers on the Kokilabari beat in 2001 after two decades of ethnic strife, which left most of the park devastated and claimed the lives of eight forest officials. Ucchila, about 5 km from Kuribeel, was considered the best habitat for the rhino and had the highest concentration of the animal. It is expected that the four female rhinos would move to this area. The young rhino which was released in Manas last week was rescued from a tea garden next to the Kaziranga National Park after its mother was shot dead by poachers in September 2007. It was transported for over 300 km to its new home. Park secure The Security Assessment Group of the Indian Rhino Vision 2020, in its update on security assessment, said 80 per cent of the Manas National Park was secure and that it was safe to release the animals there. Manas is considered one of the world's richest biodiversity hotspots, contiguous to forests of Bhutan. Home to tigers and elephants, it is also a designated Project Tiger Reserve. A repository of 22 critically endangered species, Manas was declared a World Heritage site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation in 1985.

Manas National Park has received its first greater one horned rhinos seven years after it was was wiped out by poachers. On February 24, the director of Manas, a world heritage site, released the fourth rhino, a one-and-half-year-old female, in the Kuribeel area of the Bansbari range. The four rhinos, all orphaned females, rescued by the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), its partner the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), and the Assam forest department, were hand-raised at the Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation (CWRC) near the Kaziranga National Park. The first three rhinos were transferred to Manas by WTI-IFAW in 2006. "I am delighted to welcome these rhinos to the Manas. I am sure that this move by WTI-IFAW will be the beginning of the revival of the rhino population in the park. This will be followed by the wild to wild transfer by Indian Rhino Vision 2020 team,' AK Swargiary, director Manas said. "Rhino is the pride of Assam and I am proud that WTI-IFAW has been able to support the Assam forest department in bringing back the first rhinos to this amazing Manas landscape. I hope our effort will be supplemented by others so that Manas regains its lost glory,' Vivek Menon, executive director, WTI said. MNP's last native rhino, a female, was killed by poachers in the Kokilabari beat in 2001 after two decades of ethnic strife, which devastated most of the park and killed eight forest officers. The one and half year old female calf, which was released last week, was rescued from a tea garden next to Kaziranga National Park after its mother was shot dead by poachers in September 2007. It was transported over 300 kilometers to its new home in Manas. "While conducting the post mortem we realised that the mother was lactating and therefore a calf had to be around and we started looking for it,' Dr Anjan Talukdar veterinary officer with WTI-IFAW said. Earlier, the Security Assessment Group of the Indian Rhino Vision 2020, had in its Update Report on Security Assessment in December 2007 said that 80 per cent of the Manas National Park was secure and that it was safe to release the animals there. Home to tigers and elephants it is also a designated Project Tiger reserve. A repository of 22 critically endangered species, Manas was declared a World Heritage site by the UNESCO in 1985. On ground conservation action commenced at Manas after the signing of an agreement between the Bodo people and the Government of India in 2003 and the subsequent formation of the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC). The responsibility for management of the park now rests with the BTC and the Assam forest department. The BTC deputy chief, Khampa Borgoyari, has stated that Manas is an asset and should be managed to protect wildlife. The BTC had earlier strongly recommended the formation of Greater Manas adding the adjacent forest, also called Manas, and the Ripu-Chirang forest, increasing its effective spread to 950 sq kms, up from 300. The BTC's declaration followed a study conducted by the Wildlife Trust of India and its partner, the International Fund for Animal Welfare, supported by the British government, which strongly recommended its creation. "The BTC is proud to add this piece of forest to Manas. It is well aware of its responsibilities for the conservation of forests and wildlife and other natural resources of the region so that our people can enjoy the benefits for much longer. We are striving hard to strike that balance and I am confident that our officers with support of non-governmental organisations will make this happen,' Kampa Borgoyari, deputy chief of the BTC said.

The picturesque Manas National Park, is going to add another feather to its cap through translocation of rhinos from Kaziranga National Park within three weeks from now. Almost all the preparations required for this purpose are ready and the much-awaited translocation of the animals will be welcomed by the Manas family soon. Talking to a visiting group of reporters in the Bhuyapara Range Office of the Park yesterday Susie Collis, the co-executive director of International Rhino Foundation who led a team to study the facilities for the translocation told that everything is ready and the rhinos would be brought to Manas within three weeks. The IRF team comprises of Rand of Peiches, Kristi Gerord, Frederieke Howard, Oliver Pagan and Turg Vuller. All of them expressed satisfaction at the ongoing reconstruction work going on throughout Manas. Giving details of the translocation Aninda Swargiary, the field director of the Park told that it is a process undertaken under Indian Rhino Vision (IRV) 2020 which targets at least 3000 rhino population in India by the stipulated time which is 2020. IRV is funded by several international agencies like US Fish and Wildlife Services (USFWS), Inter National Rhino Foundation (IRF) and World Wide Fund (WWF) and in Assam it is mainly executed by the Ministry of Forests and Environment and the Wildlife Development Welfare Trust. Swargiary also informed that though the rhinos were scheduled to be translocated a year back, this had to be postponed owing to several technical and infrastructural problems and finally February 12 was fixed for this purpose. But due to unavailability of Immobilon, the drug necessary for tranquillisation of the animal, it could not be executed. But the clue about the availability of the drug was found of late and it is expected that much awaited dream of the people of Assam would be fulfilled within three weeks. Giving an account of the preparation to welcome the new rhinos, Swargiary told newsmen that as many as thirteen camps have been set up all along the park in addition to existing park camps. Fund for the construction has been received from WWF and the BTAD. Wildlife Development and Welfare Trust has given 80 bicycles, 4 motorbikes, 6 boats, 4 rubber boats and 50 wireless sets for strict vigilance. The flow of funds from concerned agencies will be expedited if work is done on time.

Alarmed by the killing of at least 22 rhinos last year and four this year by poachers, the Assam Forest Department has decided to seek people's help to save the pachyderm. Owners of restaurants, resorts, dhabas, tea garden authorities and villagers have been roped in to save the endangered one-horned rhino at the Kaziranga National Park. The Forest department held a series of meetings with restaurant and resort owners near the National Park, a World Heritage site. They were also told that it was their fundamental duty under Article 51A of the Constitution to protect wildlife, a forest official said. "The department feels that the owners should be aware of the identity of the customers because there is a possibility of poachers planning their activities in such places,' Chief Conservator of Forest Bishen Singh Bonal said. Bonal, who was deputed to the park for making an on-the-spot assessment, said: "The forest department alone cannot fully protect the animals... there should be a joint effort from all concerned to save the animals.' There are nearly 90 dhabas, restaurants and resorts on the 40-km stretch from Bokakhat to Burapahar along the national highway running adjacent to the park. A series of meetings were held early this month with neighbouring tea garden authorities for ensuring their cooperation, the forest official said. "In most occasions it is seen that the animals are targeted when they venture out of the park into tea garden areas where there is no security and hence the need to educate the garden authorities,' he said. On animals crossing the national highway and entering the neighbouring hill district of Karbi Anglong where they fell prey to poachers, Bonal said his department would highlight the need to declare the nearly 70 sq km stretch in the district a protected area. The department had also stressed setting up police outposts in Rongbong and Dholerwaran areas which would help in countering poachers, most of whom entered the park area through the Karbi Anglong corridor, he said. Bonal said apart from these steps, talks were also held with villagers and headmen to socially boycott any person having links with poaching and poachers. "We have received overwhelming support with the people agreeing in one voice to socially ostracise anybody involved in poaching,' he said. The Forest Department decided to adopt the pro-active measures after drawing flak from various quarters for large- scale poaching of the one-horned rhinos in the national park.

The United Nations Educational Scientific Cultural Organization (UNESCO) declared Manas as a "World Heritage Sight in Danger' in 1992, when the region had been under the threat of extremists and suffering from an acute lack of infrastructure.

Diganta Narzary, a scientist at the National Botanical Research Institute, Lucknow, discovered a dinosaur egg fossil at Assam's Manas National Park in October 2006. amarjyoti borah talks to him