A Correspondent, Kaziranga: Kaziranga National Park, Assam’s iconic UNESCO World Heritage site, is facing its worst flood disaster in recent years, with 159 wild animal deaths reported so far, officials confirmed on Tuesday. The devastating second wave of floods has inundated vast areas of the park, severely impacting its rich wildlife. Among the animals that perished are nine rhinos, 142 hog deer, two sambar, a rhesus macaque, and an otter. Of these, 22 animals died during treatment, including 17 hog deer, three swamp deer, and one each of rhesus macaque and an otter pup. Rescue efforts have been intensive. Forest officials, assisted by volunteers, managed to save 133 animals, including 120 hog deer, three swamp deer, two rhinos, two elephants, two sambar, two scops owls, and one each of Indian hare, rhesus macaque, otter, and a jungle cat. Of these, 111 have been released back into the wild, while seven remain under medical care. Officials noted that this flood is the worst since 2017, when over 350 wild animals were lost, many during migration via animal corridors.
As of Tuesday evening, 62 out of 233 forest camps in the Eastern Assam Wildlife Division remain submerged. In a heartening development, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma shared that a separated wild elephant was successfully rescued in Tezpur and reunited with its herd within three days, thanks to swift action by the Sonitpur West Forest Division and local residents. Despite the challenges, forest department staff continue to patrol flooded zones, working tirelessly from submerged camps to protect Kaziranga’s threatened biodiversity.
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