This is Dharati – meaning Earth – with her mother Ganga.
Happy Earth Day everyone – from the Wildlife Trust of India!
We are grateful to the Wildlife Trust of India for allowing us to report on this good news:
A rhino, hand-reared by people and rehabilitated in Manas National Park in India as part of the species reintroduction programme, has given birth in the wild, for the first time in the country.
The new mother, Ganga, was rescued as a three-month-old calf during the annual floods in Kaziranga National Park in July 2004, by the Assam Forest Department.
She was hand-raised by veterinarians and animal keepers at the IFAW- Wildlife Trust of India (WTI)– run Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation (CWRC) near Kaziranga.
The new born is a healthy female and has been named Dharati, meaning earth, as a tribute.
Vivek Menon, Executive Director, WTI, and Regional Director – South Asia, IFAW, said, “This is very special for all of us. The situation of rhinos across the world has been depressing, with so many poached for their horns in the past year. In this seemingly-bleak scenario, the instances like this are what keep us optimistic and spirited to do more.”
To read all about Ganga’s story and see more pictures go here.
And lots more news of the excellent work of this group on www.wti.org.in
Photo courtesy of Bhaskar Choudhury/IFAW-WTI
Earth Day was founded as long ago as 1970.