After 13 days of relentless effort, the Jaldapara Wildlife Division has achieved success with the completion of ‘Operation Rhino’, rescuing and returning 10 rhinos that were swept away by the devastating floodwaters earlier this month, said a forest department official. The rhinos, carried away by the strong currents of the Torsha River, were safely brought back to Jaldapara National Park through a specially created green corridor — a feat that has set a new precedent in wildlife rescue operations.
According to forest officials, the operation was made possible through the combined efforts of the Jaldapara Wildlife Department, the Cooch Behar Forest Department and the administrations of Alipurduar and Cooch Behar districts.
The rescue mission began on October 5, when several rhinos from Jaldapara were swept away by floodwaters caused by the overflowing Torsha. Around 10 rhinos had drifted nearly 10 to 25 kilometers from the park and wandered into localities in Cooch Behar and Alipurduar districts in search of safety.
“Following this, forest officials launched ‘Operation Rhino’, a complex and high-risk mission to bring the displaced animals back home. The operation required immense coordination, skill and patience. The rhinos were loaded one by one onto vehicles and, in some cases, the vehicles were pulled into the forest by trained elephants,” said the official, adding, “Some of the animals were tranquilised, placed in large sleeping bags, and transported on tractors and earth movers through the green corridor designed for their safe passage.
The rescue efforts continued over nearly two weeks, with officials gradually recovering all ten rhinos from various locations. On October 5, the first two rhinos that had strayed into nearby villages were brought back into the park. Three more followed on October 6, another on October 10 from Pundibari, two on October 13 from Patlakhawa, one on October 14 from a banana plantation in Puttimari and the final rhino was rescued on October 17 from Patlakhawa and released back into the forest of Jaldapara National Park.
Speaking about the operation, Praveen Kaswan, Divisional Forest Officer of Jaldapara wildlife division, said, “On October 5, ten rhinos from Jaldapara National Park were swept away by the waters of the Torsha River. We launched an operation called ‘Operation Rhino’ to rescue them. The grasslands of the Torsha River in Jaldapara are the main habitat of rhinos and when the floods hit, they were forced out of their area. With the help of trained elephants, tranquilisers and the fire department, we were able to bring all ten rhinos back safely. Sometimes we had to sedate them and provide water before transporting them through a green corridor created especially for this purpose.”
Kaswan said the success of the operation was a result of the teamwork and cooperation between district police, forest officials, the fire department and local residents, all of whom played vital roles in ensuring the safety of the animals.
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