Assam ropes in IAF to airlift rhino

Even as a sudden spurt in rhino deaths,including those killed by poachers,in Kaziranga continues to hit headlines,a rhino from Pobitora wildlife sanctuary that was washed away by the floods and got stuck in a riverine island about 25 kms west of Guwahati,is now waiting to be airlifted by the Indian Air Force.

The rhino,an adult male,was stuck in Rani Chapori,a small riverine island of about 2 sq km area,and was spotted on Saturday by some boatmen,following which the authorities have been trying various methods to rescue it. The island is about five minutes by chopper from the IAF base here,but takes 15 to 20 minutes by a motorised boat from the Brahmaputra river bank.

“There is no scope of taking a truck and a crane to rescue the rhino or shifting it in a boat. So we requested the IAF,which has already carried out a reconnaissance of the island and even made one landing to find out whether the rhino could be airlifted and dropped back in Pobitora,” said Assam chief wildlife warden Suresh Chand.

A team of vets have examined the animal. “The vets will decide whether it will be safe to airlift the rhino right up to Pobitora. One option is that the IAF chopper lifts it and drops it on one of the banks,from where we put it in a truck and send it back,” he said.