Kaziranga : Kaziranga National Park (KNP), a World Heritage Site and home to approximately 1500 of the estimated total population of 2000 Greater one-horned rhinos is once again in the grip of floods. Just two days into the first reports of the floods have seen five animals killed in road accidents. The rising water level has completely submerged the Agoratuli Range located in the east of KNP including the range office.

Waters of the river Brahmaputra entered the 430 square kilometer park and submerged it, leaving out only the highland areas. A mass exodus of animals crossing over to higher ground at night has exposed them to greater risk of being hit by speeding vehicles on the highway that cuts through the park.

Boats plying on flooded roads in the park

The Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation (CWRC) in KNP 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).

According to Rathin Burman, the manager at CWRC said, “We had expected the floods to happen and we are ready with a rescue plan for displaced and injured animals.” The centre is a flurry of activity during the floods, when reinforcements in the form of staff from WTI headquarters in Delhi and trained volunteers from other places work grueling 20 hour days to treat the injured and sick animals. This year too, the team at CWRC will be reinforced with people from Delhi and volunteer veterinarians who will spend anywhere from a few days to a few weeks to help.

The water level is steadily rising in KNP but animals have had enough time to migrate to safer grounds. The CWRC staff is patrolling the highway with the forest department staff to ensure that vehicles do not exceed the upper speed limit. “So far three hog deer and two pythons are killed in road accidents after the waters started flooding the low lying areas”, reported Burman.

Earlier on Monday morning, Burman rushed to the Kohora range, where the team saved two hog deer from drowning. The deer were brought to CWRC in a critical condition and put under intensive care.

Volunteer veterinarian Dr. Prasanta Boro is at present helping the centre veterinarian, Dr. Bhaskar Chowdhury in taking care of in-house animals that includes elephant calves, a leopard, a rhino calf and a hoolock gibbon, among others.

Another volunteer Dr. Bidyutjyoti Das joins the team today. Posters and leaflets have been distributed in villages, and truck drivers in the road to make them aware of the situation. The minister of forests is visiting KNP today to take a first hand assessment of the KNP flood situation.