Two female rhinos captured in the western range of Bagori in Assam's Kaziranga National Park have been translocated to Manas National Park under the Indian Rhino Vision programme, in what is being seen as a big success story for conversation of the threatened species.
This is a part of India's aim to take one-horn rhino population in the country to 3,000 this year. Manas, which did not have even a single rhino 10 years ago, will now become home to 20 rhinos.
The Assam Forest Department, the World Wide Fund for Nature India (WWF-India), International Rhino Foundation (IRF), and Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) implemented a joint programme, Indian Rhino Vision (IRV), 2020 in collaboration with other national and local organisations.
In this programme, the government has partnered with international, national and local organisations for conservation of rhinos in Assam.
The IRV 2020 programme was designed by the Rhino Task Force in 2005 with a vision to attain a rhino population of 3,000 spread over the seven of the protected areas by this year.
When the programme was designed, there were only three rhino bearing protected areas in the state. Under this programme, since 2008, 18 rhinos have been already translocated to Manas National Park with support of some agencies.
