kaziranga-battles-worst-floods-in-a-decade-174-dead

Kaziranga National Park in Assam is grappling with its most severe flood in a decade, resulting in the tragic loss of 174 animals, including 10 prized one-horned rhinos.

 

The UNESCO World Heritage Site, sprawling over 1,090 square kilometers, reported a record water level of 87.47 meters at Nimatighat in Jorhat district on June 1, surpassing the previous high of 87.27 meters in 2017.

 

Director Sonali Ghosh highlighted the scale of devastation, noting that the park, renowned for housing the world's largest population of one-horned rhinos, had experienced relatively milder floods in recent years—2018, 2021, 2022, and 2023.

 

Among the casualties, hog deer suffered the most, with 153 reported deaths primarily from drowning, while two were fatalities from vehicle collisions on the adjacent highway.

 

 

In 2017, the park had reported maximum animal deaths of 291 that included casualties of 24 rhinos.

 

Despite the grim statistics, efforts by forest personnel have led to the rescue of 135 animals thus far.

 

"Our teams are working tirelessly under challenging conditions to protect wildlife," Ghosh maintained.

 

The floods, an annual phenomenon during the monsoon, play a crucial role in the ecosystem's vitality, according to wildlife experts. 

 

"A few wild animals die during floods in Kaziranga and some other wildlife parks in Assam. This may look bad, but this is the natural selection process of survival of the fittest in the wild. Without annual floods, these floodplain ecosystem won't be able to sustain wild animals, including rhinos as it energises the ecosystem in Kaziranga or any other rhino bearing areas along the Brahmaputra river," wildlife biologist and CEO of Aranyak, a biodiversity conservation group in Assam, Bibhab Kumar Talukdar, said.    

 

Meanwhile, Assam's overall flood situation is gradually improving, according to the latest bulletin from the Assam State Disaster Management Authority. 

 

Despite ongoing challenges, the number of affected individuals stands at 13.99 lakh across 2,545 villages in 26 districts.

 

Tragically, the state has reported 84 flood-related fatalities till now this year.

 

As authorities continue rescue operations and assess the ecological impact, the floodwaters remain a double-edged sword—necessary for rejuvenating the ecosystem while posing a significant threat to its inhabitants.