Kaziranga wildlife-The Hindu-29-08-2022

GS-3
ENVIRONMENT :
CONTEXT :
The Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation (CWRC) at Panbari near the Kaziranga
National Park and Tiger Reserve have completed 20 years of providing emergency care, treatment and rehabilitation to indigenous wild animals displaced due to various reasons.

Kaziranga National Park (KNP) is situated in the floodplain of the Brahmaputra river in the Nagaon and Golaghat districts of Assam, India.
Covering an area of 430 km² it is the largest protected area on the southern bank of the Brahmaputra River spreading from the Brahmaputra in the north to National Highway 37.
Eye view on the transformation of Kaziranga conservation :
The conservation effort at Kaziranga was begun in 1908, when it was made into a ‘Reserve Forest’, with the primary aim of protecting the Indian Rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis) and its habitat. It was subsequently declared a ‘Game Reserve’ in 1916, made into a ‘Wildlife Sanctuary’ in 1950 and, finally, declared a ‘National Park’ on 1 January 1974. It was also proclaimed a UNESCO ‘World Heritage Site’ in 1985. Due to more than 80 years of serious conservation effort in the park, the rhino population has increased from just a few to the present 1,200 individuals.

More about CWRC :
The Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation (CWRC) at Panbari near the Kaziranga National Park, the centre was established on August 28, 2002. It is a joint initiative of the Assam Forest Department, the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) and the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW).
The success of CWRC:
The CWRC have successfully addressed the welfare and conservation of 357 species including elephant, leopard, rhino, tiger, clouded leopard, black bear, wild buffalo, hog deer, muntjac, wild boar and monkeys. It has so far handled 7,397 animals out of which 4,490 (65%) could be sent back to the wild after proper care and treatment.
The CWRC has become a model now in the field of wildlife conservation and its needs in Assam.