41 animals killed in Kaziranga floods

Nearly 70 per cent of the Kaziranga National Park was flooded in the current spell of rains, which claimed the lives of two rhinos and 22 hog deer. Speeding vehicles killed 17 hog deer till Friday. The park authorities have so far rescued and released 56 hog deer and eight swamp deer.

Assam Forest offcials rescue an adult deer from a flood-affected region at Bagori range of Kaziranga National Park in Nagaon district of Assam on Friday.

KNP Director Sanjib Kumar Bora told The Hindu that the magnitude of the flood in the park this time was higher than that of 2004, but all efforts were on to protect the wild animals from the flood fury.

Migration

He said elephant herds of the park started migrating to highlands on the southern side towards Nagaon, Golaghat, and Karbi Anglong followed by herds of hog deer. Rhinos can survive in water.

A rhino calf and an elephant calf hit by vehicles were rescued, and both animals are being treated at the Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation (CWRC), run jointly by the Wildlife Trust of India, the International Fund for Animal Welfare, and the Department of Forest located in the park.

Speed restrictions

Mr. Bora said Section 144 had been promulgated, restricting the speed of vehicles plying along National Highway 37 that passes through the park, and time cards had been introduced to enforce a speed limit of 40km/hour, in cooperation with the police and local NGOs and general public.

Positive aspect

The KNP director, however, said the flood this time was expected to recharge the wetlands of the park, and rejuvenate grasslands and other areas.

News Link:-http://www.thehindu.com/news/states/other-states/article3585936.ece

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Zoo’s polar bear escapes, seals ‘washed away’ in Duluth flooding

The rains and flooding in northeastern Minnesota have devastated a local zoo, killing at least 14 animals. Amid the chaos, a polar bear had to be tranquilized after escaping her enclosure, and two seals “washed away” and wound up on a Duluth thoroughfare.

That may have been how passersby knew there was a problem at Lake Superior Zoo, said spokeswoman Holly Henry — they drove past Feisty and Helen out on Grand Avenue. Escaped seal pictures were even popping up on social media.

The two seals survived the ordeal, but officials at the small Duluth zoo were mourning the loss Wednesday of the animals that died — and the death toll may grow, Henry said.

“We’re still not entirely sure how many animals were lost,” she said. Animals killed in the severe flooding included “all but one of the barnyard animals” — those in the petting zoo. Six sheep, four goats, one raven, one vulture, one snowy owl and a donkey died in the flooding.

The zoo has a creek that flows through the 16-acre property, Henry said, and when torrential rains hit, there was “severe, severe flooding.”

The drama began to unfold in the early hours of the morning. Overnight security at the zoo contacted the director of animal care about 3 a.m. to report flash flooding, she said.

Making sure the large, dangerous animals were contained was officials’ top priority, Henry said. She stressed that the zoo’s polar bear, Berlin, never escaped the zoo’s perimeter fence. The animal did, however, leave her enclosure.

“When they first spotted her, she was on her exhibit — but on the wall of her exhibit,” Henry said. At that point, the animal was not agitated — “she was really quite pleased with herself.”

The police were on hand, as were two zoo officials.

Henry said zoo personnel shot the animal with a tranquilizer dart. Then, Berlin became agitated, and “it takes a few minutes after they’re darted to go down.”

“Even though it’s a large white object, it’s pretty nerve racking,” police spokesman Jim Hansen told the Associated Press of the attempt to corral Berlin.

Henry said of the zoo property itself: “It’s a disaster.” Officials won’t know the extent of the damage to the zoo until the rain stops and they’re given a chance to inspect and begin the clean-up process.

Video & rest of news:–http://www.latimes.com/news/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-minnesota-zoo-escape-20120620,0,4081626.story