Bettiah: A one-day workshop on rhinoceros conservation and rescue was organised on Saturday at Valmiki auditorium in Valmiki Tiger Reserve (VTR) in West Champaran district. The event brought together senior forest department officials and frontline personnel from all eight ranges of the reserve for specialised training.Renowned rhino expert Amit Sharma from Assam, representing WWF, and Rohit, a trainer from Dudhwa Tiger Reserve were experts at the workshop. The experts gave insights on rhino behaviour, conservation strategies, rescue techniques, crowd management, wildlife tracking and emergency response protocols. A key focus of the session was training personnel in scientific and safe response mechanisms in the event a rhino strays into unfamiliar territory.
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Explaining the region’s unique geographical challenges, Sharma said during the monsoon, rhinos from Nepal’s Chitwan National Park are often swept across the border into Indian territory by strong flood currents. The animals frequently enter the Valmikinagar range and other forest areas of the VTR. The training programme was designed to strengthen the operational preparedness of forest personnel to handle such situations effectively.Highlighting the sensitivity of the India-Nepal border landscape, forest officials said the region remains highly prone to rhino movement. Equipping forest personnel with modern techniques and standard operating procedures (SOPs), they added, is essential to ensuring the safety of both the endangered animals and local communities.
