Rhino stuck in sand, rescued

Kaziranga (Assam), January 14, 2010: An adult male rhino, stuck in sand, in Sotia in the northern bank of Brahmaputra river along Kaziranga National Park, Assam, was rescued yesterday by the Forest Department assisted by the International Fund for Animal Welfare – Wildlife Trust of India (IFAW-WTI) and local villagers.

The rhino was trapped in slushy sand concealed underneath a pool of water. According to the locals who informed the Forest Department of the trapped rhino, it had been stuck since dawn yesterday.

The Forest Department along with IFAW-WTI veterinarian Dr Phulmoni Gogoi reached the spot before noon.

“The rhino had its head and upper parts of its body above the water and was visibly exhausted. I administered steroids and vitamin supplements on the rear flank of the animal to help it recover its strength,” said Dr Gogoi.

Dr Phulmoni Gogoi, IFAW-WTI veterinarian, attends to the trapped rhino

With the help of the locals, the rescue team excavated sand from around the rhino’s hind legs. As soon as its hind legs were freed, the rhino walked away from the site of rescue.

A similar incident had occurred in January last year in a farmland near Kaziranga, when a rhino was trapped in a mud-pit. The Forest Department, and IFAW-WTI Mobile Veterinary Service (MVS) Central Assam team led by Dr Prasanta Boro, attended to the rhino. An earth-mover was deployed to excavate the mud to free the rhino.

Likewise, IFAW-WTI MVS Central Assam unit also assisted the Department in rescuing an elephant calf and a swamp deer stuck in mud in 2009. One rhino was rescued from a pit in 2006.

Photos: Dr Phulmoni Gogoi (top), Lakhiram Das, WTI