Wild animals in Assam’s Kaziranga National Park have suffered majorly following the devastating flood which submerged over 95 per cent of the park.
The forest guards and locals have found more bodies of the wild animals on July 19.
According to the Kaziranga National Park authority, 92 wild animals, including eight rhinos, have died in the park during the flood so far.
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Apart from seven rhinos, 41 hog deer, six wild boar, four sambar, one elephant, one swamp deer, one water buffalo, two porcupine were drowned in flood waters in the park.
On the other hand, 13 hog deer and one sambar died in vehicle-hit, while the wild animals were forced to move to neighbouring hill areas in Karbi Anglong district following the flood.
According to the park authority, one rhino and 10 hog deer died due to ‘other reasons’ in the national park during the current flood.
The forest department, CWRC and the locals have rescued 61 wild animals including two rhino calves, 50 hog deer, one baby elephant, two swamp deer, one sambar and five other animals from the park and adjoining areas.
The flood situation in the park has gradually improved but 78 forest camps in the national park are still under water.
Over 95 per cent areas of the world heritage site was submerged by the flood waters in which the wild animals were forced to move to the neighbouring hill areas of Karbi Anglong district by crossing the National Highway 37 (New NH 715).
The Assam Forest Department has opened a helpline number – 03612332830 – and urged the people to help the authorities to rescue the wild animals.
Assam forest department PRO Sailen Pandey said that, the state forest department, park authorities, NGOs, CWRC are engaged in rescue operations to safely rescue the wild animals, who were moved outside of the park following the devastating flood.
On Thursday, a tiger escaped from the Kaziranga National Park and was spotted ‘relaxing’ on a bed inside a house near the park.
“The tiger was spotted next to the highway at 8:30 am, moving from the park, just 200 meters away, on its way to Karbi hills about 500 meters across the National Highway. Probably disturbed, he jumped across the wall of a scrap garage and took refuge in the dark room,” WTI tweeted.
Later, the tiger moved to the park.
Similarly, locals have spotted an injured wild elephant in a tea garden located near the national park.
