Wildlife rescuers save baby rhino from flood in India's Assam province
Indian forest officials rescued a baby rhino from drowning during a massive flood on Tuesday.
The calf, who is just three months old, was trying to reach its mother when it lost its footing and fell into rushing floodwaters inside Kaziranga National Park, located in the northeastern state of Assam.
Video shows the rescuers hauling the calf onto their boat, after which it was taken to the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW). The calf is under 24-hour surveillance until its condition stabilizes.
Field staff of Kaziranga are one of the sincerest and I am proud of working with him.#AssamFloods#Kaziranga#Floods#Rhino#Rescue#AssamForest#Conservation#GuardiansOfNature#Wildlife#KazirangaNationalParkpic.twitter.com/mjd5mrUilZ
— Arun Vignesh C S, IFS (@arunvigneshcs) July 16, 2019
"Under ordinary circumstances with young individuals, attempts (some lasting for weeks) are made to reunite them with their mothers, before they are considered subjects for long-term rehabilitation," Gail A'Brunzo, wildlife rescue manager for IFAW, told The Dodo.
The IFAW said it is currently caring for eight other rhinos that have been displaced by the floods.
Monsoon flooding has devastated parts of northeastern India over the past week, leaving millions displaced throughout the country and neighboring Nepal, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
Over 4.2 million people have been directly affected by flooding in Assam alone, according to CNN, and more than 100 people have died so far. Heavy rains are expected to continue in the coming days.
Kaziranga, which is home to the world's largest population of Indian rhinos, has been hit particularly hard by the storms. An estimated 90 percent of the park is underwater and at least 19 people have died in the area so far. The flood has already killed at least two rhinos.
