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Kerala is set to augment its wildlife rehabilitation capabilities by establishing a dedicated facility to treat injured and nurture orphaned big cats and other large carnivores that are rescued from the wild.
Location of the center
The center will be built in Thrissur on the lines of the existing one in Sri Chamarajendra Zoological Gardens in Mysuru that treats tigers, leopards, sloth bears, wild dogs and other animals.
Significance
- The centre will treat animals until they can be released back into the wild and rehabilitate those that are permanently disabled.
- The location of the facility will enable the department to enlist the services of veterinarians attached to the zoological park.
- While it will be off-limits for visitors, the proposed centre is likely to meet its expenditure using the revenue generated by the zoological park.
The State currently has a rescue and rehabilitation centre for captive and wild elephants at Kottoor in Thiruvananthapuram. Wildlife rehabilitation
- Wildlife rehabilitation is the treatment and care of injured, orphaned, or sick wild animals so that they can be released back to the wild.
- Rehabilitation begins when an animal is found and reported to a wildlife rehabilitator, or seized from the illegal wildlife trade or a poacher.
- The rehabilitator will examine the animal to determine the extent of the injury and the probability of successful rehabilitation.
- If it appears that the animal can make a sufficient recovery to be able to return to the wild, the animal will be fed, nurtured, provided safe temporary housing, and medically treated as necessary.
- Animals that cannot be rehabilitated are usually euthanized humanely, although animals are occasionally placed at facilities appropriately licensed for educational exhibit or brought into appropriate lifetime care in a wildlife rescue center.
- A non-releasable animal may sometimes be kept by the rehabilitator (under separate permit) as a surrogate parent for orphaned or injured young wildlife.
Source: The Hindu
