Kaziranga : An annual feature of nature’s fury unleashes in the form of floods at Kaziranga National Park and displaces hundreds of animals from their habitat.

The 430 square kilometer Kaziranga National Park (KNP) is a World Heritage Site and home to approximately 1500 of the estimated total population of 2000 Greater one-horned rhinos, besides many other species of mammals, including elephants and tigers and birds.

Traditionally, thousands of animals, including rhinos and elephants leave the sanctuary for higher ground during this period. As a national highway bisects the corridor that links the park with the higher ground, many of the animals are hit by speeding vehicles or are poached as they stray near habitation. Many are simply swept away by the swirling waters. The largest numbers of these are ungulates, mainly deer.

KNP is located on the floodplains of the river Brahmaputra in Assam , and ironically the floods during monsoons are its lifeline. It is a unique grassland habitat, which thrives on the silt left behind by the receding waters. The floods follow a 10-year cycle of intensity and tend to vary in severity every two years. Devastation occurs when the embankments break and water floods the plains in a flash. The floods in 1998 were seen as one of the worst ever in the history of the river when 652 animals, including 40 rhinos were recorded dead.

The Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation (CWRC) has been crucially involved in the rescue and rehabilitation of animals during the annual floods . The CWRC was established by the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) and the Department of Forest and Environment, Government of Assam, and supported by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW).

Dr. Rathin Burman, Centre Manager said,” since floods are an annual feature, we are preparing ourselves by stocking up on medicines, although there has been no indication of floods so far. The park is more prone to flash floods for which we have to be on alert, as we may have a couple of days’ warning at best before we find ourselves in deep waters!”

In addition to providing rescue and rehabilitation to displaced animals this year Dr. Bhaskar Chowdhury, the centre veterinarian has planned to spread awareness among the villagers. “At most times, it is the local people who first spot a displaced animal in distress and if the people are made capable of handling the animal, a lot of mortalities could be averted,” he said. Dr. Bhaskar intends to educate the people through talks and demonstrations this year.

The presence of a national highway has led to many hit and run cases of accidents that have killed animals trying to cross over to higher ground during the floods. The civil administration has imposed Section 144 on the National highway cutting through Kaziranga restricting the speed limit of vehicles to a maximum of 40 km/hr. Check points have been put by the Kaziranga park authorities to implement the speed restrictions. The CWRC team began night patrolling on the 25 th June. Some animals were found to be crossing the national highway to take shelter in the highlands of the northern boundary of the park.

With the rescue team at CWRC on standby, reinforcements for the team from WTI headquarters in New Delhi and efforts of the forest department and Park authorities, animals can have a greater chance of survival if Nature decides to vent her ire.