Kaziranga National Park is a
national park
A national park is a natural park in use for conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individua ...
in the
Golaghat and
Nagaon district
Nagaon is an administrative district in the Indian state of Assam. At the time of the 2011 census it was the most populous district in Assam, before Hojai district was split from it in 2016.
History
Batadrowa gave birth to the Vaishnavite r ...
s of the state of
Assam
Assam (; ) is a state in northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . The state is bordered by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh to the north; Nagaland and Manipur ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...
. The park, which hosts two-thirds of the world's
great one-horned rhinoceroses, is a
World Heritage Site
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...
. According to the census held in March 2018 which was jointly conducted by the Forest Department of the Government of Assam and some recognized wildlife NGOs, the rhino population in Kaziranga National Park is 2,613. It comprises 1,641 adult rhinos (642 males, 793 females, 206 unsexed); 387 sub-adults (116 males, 149 females, 122 unsexed); and 385 calves.
In 2015, the rhino population stood at 2401. Kaziranga National Park was declared a
Tiger Reserve in 2006. The park is home to large breeding populations of
elephants
Elephants are the largest existing land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant. They are the only surviving members of the family Elephantidae ...
,
wild water buffalo
The wild water buffalo (''Bubalus arnee''), also called Asian buffalo, Asiatic buffalo and wild buffalo, is a large bovine native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. It has been listed as ''Endangered'' in the IUCN Red List since 198 ...
, and
swamp deer. Kaziranga is recognized as an
Important Bird Area
An Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) is an area identified using an internationally agreed set of criteria as being globally important for the conservation of bird populations.
IBA was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife Int ...
by
BirdLife International
BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding ...
for conservation of avifaunal species. When compared with other protected areas in India, Kaziranga has achieved notable success in
wildlife conservation
Wildlife conservation refers to the practice of protecting wild species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often ...
. Located on the edge of the
Eastern Himalaya biodiversity hotspot, the park combines high species diversity and visibility.
Kaziranga is a vast expanse of tall
elephant grass,
marshland
A marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous rather than woody plant species.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p Marshes can often be found at ...
, and dense
tropical moist broadleaf forests, criss-crossed by four major rivers, including the
Brahmaputra
The Brahmaputra is a trans-boundary river which flows through Tibet, northeast India, and Bangladesh. It is also known as the Yarlung Tsangpo in Tibetan, the Siang/Dihang River in Arunachali, Luit in Assamese, and Jamuna River in Bangla. I ...
, and the park includes numerous
small bodies of water. Kaziranga has been the theme of several books, songs, and documentaries. The park celebrated its centennial in 2005 after its establishment in 1905 as a
reserve forest.
In 2017, Kaziranga came under severe criticism after a
BBC News
BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...
documentary revealed a hardliner strategy to conservation, reporting the killing of 20 people a year in the name of rhino conservation.
As a consequence of this reporting, BBC News was banned from filming in protected areas in India for 5 years.
While several news reports claimed that BBC had apologized for the documentary, the BBC stood by its report, with its Director General, Tony Hall, writing in a letter to
Survival International
Survival International is a human rights organisation formed in 1969, a London based charity that campaigns for the collective rights, rights of indigenous peoples, indigenous and/or tribal peoples and uncontacted peoples.
The organisation's ca ...
that ''the letter "in no way constitutes an apology for our journalism."''
As a response to the report, researchers in India have provided more nuanced understanding of the matter, calling out BBC for the carelessness of its journalism, but also pointing to the problems of conservation in Kaziranga
and questioning whether shoot-at-sight has been a useful conservation strategy at all.
History of Kaziranga National Park
The history of Kaziranga as a protected area can be traced back to 1904, when
Mary Curzon, Baroness Curzon of Kedleston, the wife of the
Viceroy of India
The Governor-General of India (1773–1950, from 1858 to 1947 the Viceroy and Governor-General of India, commonly shortened to Viceroy of India) was the representative of the monarch of the United Kingdom and after Indian independence in 1 ...
,
Lord Curzon of Kedleston
George Nathaniel Curzon, 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston, (11 January 1859 – 20 March 1925), styled Lord Curzon of Kedleston between 1898 and 1911 and then Earl Curzon of Kedleston between 1911 and 1921, was a British Conservative statesman ...
, visited the area. After failing to see a single-horned rhinoceros, for which the area was renowned, she persuaded her husband to take urgent measures to protect the dwindling species which he did by initiating planning for their protection.
On 1 June 1905, the Kaziranga Proposed Reserve Forest was created with an area of .
Over the next three years, the park area was extended by , to the banks of the
Brahmaputra River
The Brahmaputra is a trans-boundary river which flows through Tibet, northeast India, and Bangladesh. It is also known as the Yarlung Tsangpo in Tibetan, the Siang/Dihang River in Arunachali, Luit in Assamese, and Jamuna River in Bangla. I ...
.
In 1908, Kaziranga was designated a "Reserve Forest".
In 1916, it was redesignated the "Kaziranga Game Sanctuary" and remained so till 1938, when hunting was prohibited and visitors were permitted to enter the park.. In 1934 Kaziranga was changed to Kaziranha. A few people call it by its original name till today!
The Kaziranga Game Sanctuary was renamed the "Kaziranga Wildlife Sanctuary" in 1950 by P. D. Stracey, the forest conservationist, in order to rid the name of hunting connotations.
In 1954, the government of Assam passed the Assam (Rhinoceros) Bill, which imposed heavy penalties for rhinoceros poaching. Fourteen years later, in 1968, the state government passed the Assam National Park Act of 1968, declaring Kaziranga a designated national park. The park was given official status by the central government on 11 February 1974. In 1985, Kaziranga was declared a
World Heritage Site
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...
by
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. I ...
for its unique natural environment.
Kaziranga has been the target of several natural and man-made calamities in recent decades. Floods caused by the overflow of the river Brahmaputra, leading to significant losses of animal life.
[Kaziranga Factsheet (Revised)](_blank)
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. I ...
, Retrieved on 2007-02-27 Encroachment by people along the periphery has also led to a diminished forest cover and a loss of habitat. An ongoing separatist movement in Assam led by the
United Liberation Front of Assam
The United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) (Assamese: সংযুক্ত মুক্তি বাহিনী, অসম) is an armed separatist organisation operating in the Northeast Indian state of Assam. It seeks to establish an indep ...
(ULFA) has crippled the economy of the region, but Kaziranga has remained unaffected by the movement; indeed, instances of rebels from the United Liberation Front of Assam protecting the animals and, in extreme cases, killing poachers, have been reported since the 1980s.
Etymology
Although the
etymology
Etymology () The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p. 633 "Etymology /ˌɛtɪˈmɒlədʒi/ the study of the class in words and the way their meanings have changed throughout time". is the study of the history of the form of words ...
of the name Kaziranga is not certain, there exist a number of possible explanations derived from local legends and records. According to one legend, a girl named Rawnga, from a nearby village, and a youth named Kazi, from
Karbi Anglong, fell in love. This match was not acceptable to their families, and the couple disappeared into the forest, never to be seen again, and the forest was named after them. According to another legend,
Srimanta Sankardeva
Srimanta Sankardev( শ্ৰীমন্ত শংকৰদেৱ )(; ; 1449–1568) was a 15th–16th century Assamese polymath; a saint-scholar, poet, playwright, dancer, actor, musician, artist social-religious reformer and a figure of imp ...
, the sixteenth-century
Vaisnava
Vaishnavism ( sa, वैष्णवसम्प्रदायः, Vaiṣṇavasampradāyaḥ) is one of the major Hindu denominations along with Shaivism, Shaktism, and Smartism. It is also called Vishnuism since it considers Vishnu as the ...
saint-scholar, once blessed a childless couple, Kazi and Rangai, and asked them to dig a big pond in the region so that their name would live on.
Testimony to the long history of the name can be found in some records, which state that once, while the
Ahom king Pratap Singha was passing by the region during the seventeenth century, he was particularly impressed by the taste of fish, and on asking was told it came from Kaziranga.
Kaziranga also could mean the "Land of red goats (Deer)", as the word ''Kazi'' in the
Karbi language
The Karbi language () is spoken by the Karbi (also known as Mikir or Arleng) people of Northeastern India.
It belongs to the Sino-Tibetan language family, but its position is unclear. Grierson (1903) classified it under Naga languages, Shafer ...
means "goat", and ''Rangai'' means "red".
Some historians believe, however, that the name Kaziranga was derived from the Karbi word ''Kajir-a-rong'', which means "the village of Kajir" (''kajiror gaon''). Among the
Karbis, Kajir is a common name for a girl child, and it was believed that a woman named Kajir once ruled over the area. Fragments of
monolith
A monolith is a geological feature consisting of a single massive stone or rock, such as some mountains. For instance, Savandurga mountain is a monolith mountain in India. Erosion usually exposes the geological formations, which are often ma ...
s associated with Karbi rule found scattered in the area seem to bear testimony to this assertion.
File:Assam 014.jpg, Grassland of Kaziranga National Park
File:KazirangaView.jpg, Inside Kaziranga National Park
File:Kaziranga-National-Park-in-Assam.webp, Rhinos grazing in the grassland of ''Kaziranga''
Geography
Kaziranga is located between latitudes 26°30' N and 26°45' N, and longitudes 93°08' E to 93°36' E within three districts in the Indian state of
Assam
Assam (; ) is a state in northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . The state is bordered by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh to the north; Nagaland and Manipur ...
—the
Kaliabor subdivision of
Nagaon district
Nagaon is an administrative district in the Indian state of Assam. At the time of the 2011 census it was the most populous district in Assam, before Hojai district was split from it in 2016.
History
Batadrowa gave birth to the Vaishnavite r ...
,
Bokajan subdivision
Bokajan ( ) is a town in Karbi Anglong district in the state of Assam, India. Bokajan is best known for its Cement factory ( Cement Corporation of India, Bokajan). It is 15 km away from Dimapur and partially borders Nagaland.
Geography
...
of
Karbi Anglong and the
Bokakhat subdivision
Bokakhat subdivision is a subdivision situated in the Golaghat district of Assam
Assam (; ) is a state in northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . The st ...
of
Golaghat district.
The park is approximately in length from east to west, and in breadth from north to south.
Kaziranga covers an area of , with approximately lost to erosion in recent years.
A total addition of along the present boundary of the park has been made and designated with separate national park status to provide extended habitat for increasing the population of wildlife or, as a corridor for safe movement of animals to Karbi Anglong Hills.
Elevation ranges from to . The park area is circumscribed by the Brahmaputra River, which forms the northern and eastern boundaries, and the
Mora Diphlu, which forms the southern boundary. Other notable rivers within the park are the
Diphlu and
Mora Dhansiri.
Kaziranga has flat expanses of fertile,
alluvial soil, formed by
erosion
Erosion is the action of surface processes (such as water flow or wind) that removes soil, rock, or dissolved material from one location on the Earth's crust, and then transports it to another location where it is deposited. Erosion is di ...
and silt deposition by the River Brahmaputra. The landscape consists of exposed
sandbar
In oceanography, geomorphology, and geoscience, a shoal is a natural submerged ridge, bank, or bar that consists of, or is covered by, sand or other unconsolidated material and rises from the bed of a body of water to near the surface. It o ...
s, riverine flood-formed lakes known as, ''
beels'', (which make up 5% of the surface area), and elevated regions known as, ''chapories'', which provide retreats and shelter for animals during floods. Many artificial ''chapories'' have been built with the help of the
Indian Army
The Indian Army is the land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), who is a four ...
to ensure the safety of the animals.
[ ] Kaziranga is one of the largest tracts of protected land in the sub-Himalayan belt, and due to the presence of highly diverse and visible species, has been described as a ''"
biodiversity hotspot"''. The park is located in the
Indomalayan realm, and the dominant
ecoregion
An ecoregion (ecological region) or ecozone (ecological zone) is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than a bioregion, which in turn is smaller than a biogeographic realm. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas o ...
s of the region are
Brahmaputra Valley semi-evergreen forests
The Brahmaputra Valley semi-evergreen forests is a tropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion of Northeastern India and southern Bhutan.
Location and description
The ecoregion covers and encompasses the alluvial plain of the upper Brahmaputra ...
of the
tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests
Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests (TSMF), also known as tropical moist forest, is a subtropical and tropical forest habitat type defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature.
Description
TSMF is generally found in large, disco ...
biome, and the frequently-flooded
Terai-Duar savanna and grasslands of the
tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome. Kaziranga is also surrounded by lush green tea plantations, most of them contributing heavily to Assam's economy.
Climate
The park experiences three seasons: summer, monsoon, and winter. The winter season, between November and February, is mild and dry, with a mean high of and low of . During this season, ''beels'' and ''
nullahs'' (water channels) dry up.
The summer season between March and May is hot, with temperatures reaching a high of . During this season, animals usually are found near water bodies.
The rainy monsoon season lasts from June to September, and is responsible for most of Kaziranga's annual rainfall of . During the peak months of July and August, three-fourths of the western region of the park is submerged, due to the rising water level of the Brahmaputra. It was found that 70% of the National Park was flooded as on 3 August 2016. The flooding causes most animals to migrate to elevated and forested regions outside the southern border of the park, such as the
Mikir hills
Mikir Hills are a group of hills located to the south of the Kaziranga National Park, Assam. The easternmost Meghalaya comprising the detached Mikir Hills is partly isolated being surrounded by three sidesKarbi plateauor Mikir Hills is known ol ...
. 540 animals, including 13 rhinos and mostly hog deers perished in unprecedented floods of 2012.
However, occasional dry spells create problems as well, such as food shortages and occasional forest fires.
[ ]
Fauna
Kaziranga contains significant breeding populations of 35 mammalian species,
of which 15 are
threatened
Threatened species are any species (including animals, plants and fungi) which are vulnerable to endangerment in the near future. Species that are threatened are sometimes characterised by the population dynamics measure of ''critical depensa ...
as per the
IUCN Red List
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biol ...
. The park has the distinction of being home to the world's largest population of the
Indian rhinoceros (2,401),
wild water buffalo
The wild water buffalo (''Bubalus arnee''), also called Asian buffalo, Asiatic buffalo and wild buffalo, is a large bovine native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. It has been listed as ''Endangered'' in the IUCN Red List since 198 ...
(1,666)
['Wild buffalo census in Kaziranga', The Rhino Foundation for Nature in NE India, Newsletter No. 3, June 2001] and
eastern swamp deer (468).
Significant populations of large herbivores include
indian elephants (1,940),
gaur
The gaur (''Bos gaurus''; ), also known as the Indian bison, is a bovine native to South Asia and Southeast Asia, and has been listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 1986. The global population was estimated at a maximum of 21,000 ...
(1300) and
sambar (58). Small herbivores include the
chital
The chital or cheetal (''Axis axis''; ), also known as the spotted deer, chital deer, and axis deer, is a deer species native to the Indian subcontinent. It was first described and given a binomial name by German naturalist Johann Christian Po ...
,
Indian muntjac,
Indian boar and
Indian hog deer.
Kaziranga has the largest population of the Wild water buffalo anywhere accounting for about 57% of the world population. The One-Horned rhinoceros, Royal Bengal Tiger, Asian elephant, wild water buffalo and swamp deer are collectively known as 'Big Five' of Kaziranga.
Kaziranga is one of the few wild breeding areas outside Africa for multiple species of large cats, such as
Bengal tiger
The Bengal tiger is a population of the ''Panthera tigris tigris'' subspecies. It ranks among the biggest wild cats alive today. It is considered to belong to the world's charismatic megafauna.
The tiger is estimated to have been present in ...
s and
Indian leopard
The Indian leopard (''Panthera pardus fusca'') is a leopard subspecies widely distributed on the Indian subcontinent. The species ''Panthera pardus'' is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List because populations have declined following habita ...
.
Kaziranga was declared a
Tiger Reserve in 2006 and has the highest density of tigers in the world (1 per 5 km
2), with a population of 118, according to the latest census.
Other
felids include the
jungle cat
The jungle cat (''Felis chaus''), also called reed cat, swamp cat and jungle lynx, is a medium-sized cat native to the Middle East, the Caucasus, South and Southeast Asia and southern China. It inhabits foremost wetlands like swamps, litto ...
,
fishing cat
The fishing cat (''Prionailurus viverrinus'') is a medium-sized wild cat of South and Southeast Asia. Since 2016, it is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. Fishing cat populations are threatened by destruction of wetlands and have declin ...
and
leopard cat.
Small mammals include the rare
hispid hare,
Indian gray mongoose
The Indian grey mongoose (''Urva edwardsii'') is a mongoose species native to the Indian subcontinent and West Asia. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
The grey mongoose inhabits open forests, scrublands and cultivated field ...
,
small Indian mongooses,
large Indian civet,
small Indian civet
The small Indian civet (''Viverricula indica'') is a civet native to South and Southeast Asia. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List because of its widespread distribution, widespread habitat use and healthy populations living in ag ...
s,
Bengal fox,
golden jackal
The golden jackal (''Canis aureus''), also called common jackal, is a wolf-like canid that is native to Southeast Europe, Southwest Asia, South Asia, and regions of Southeast Asia. The golden jackal's coat varies in color from a pale crea ...
,
sloth bear
The sloth bear (''Melursus ursinus'') is a myrmecophagous bear species native to the Indian subcontinent. It feeds on fruits, ants and termites. It is listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, mainly because of habitat loss and degradatio ...
,
Chinese pangolin,
Indian pangolins,
hog badger,
Chinese ferret-badger, and
particoloured flying squirrel
The particolored flying squirrel (''Hylopetes alboniger'') is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae. It is found in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand, and Vietnam. Its natural habitat is su ...
.
Nine of the 14
primate
Primates are a diverse order (biology), order of mammals. They are divided into the Strepsirrhini, strepsirrhines, which include the lemurs, galagos, and lorisids, and the Haplorhini, haplorhines, which include the Tarsiiformes, tarsiers and ...
species found in India occur in the park.
Prominent among them are the
Assamese macaque,
capped and
golden langur, as well as the only
ape found in India, the
hoolock gibbon.
Kaziranga's rivers are also home to the endangered
Ganges dolphin.
Kaziranga has been identified by
Birdlife International
BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding ...
as an
Important Bird Area
An Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) is an area identified using an internationally agreed set of criteria as being globally important for the conservation of bird populations.
IBA was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife Int ...
.
It is home to a variety of migratory birds, water birds, predators, scavengers, and game birds. Birds such as the
lesser white-fronted goose,
ferruginous duck,
Baer's pochard duck
Duck is the common name for numerous species of waterfowl in the family Anatidae. Ducks are generally smaller and shorter-necked than swans and geese, which are members of the same family. Divided among several subfamilies, they are a fo ...
and
lesser adjutant,
greater adjutant,
black-necked stork
The black-necked stork (''Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus'') is a tall long-necked wading bird in the stork family. It is a resident species across the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia with a disjunct population in Australia. It lives in wetl ...
, and
Asian openbill stork
Storks are large, long-legged, long-necked wading birds with long, stout bills. They belong to the family called Ciconiidae, and make up the order Ciconiiformes . Ciconiiformes previously included a number of other families, such as herons a ...
migrate from
Central Asia
Central Asia, also known as Middle Asia, is a region of Asia that stretches from the Caspian Sea in the west to western China and Mongolia in the east, and from Afghanistan and Iran in the south to Russia in the north. It includes the former ...
to the park during winter.
Riverine birds include the
Blyth's kingfisher,
white-bellied heron,
Dalmatian pelican,
spot-billed pelican,
Nordmann's greenshank, and
black-bellied tern
The black-bellied tern (''Sterna acuticauda'') is a tern found near large rivers in the Indian subcontinent, its range extending from Pakistan, Nepal and India to Myanmar. It has become very scarce in the eastern part of its range and the Intern ...
.
Birds of prey
Birds of prey or predatory birds, also known as raptors, are hypercarnivorous bird species that actively hunt and feed on other vertebrates (mainly mammals, reptiles and other smaller birds). In addition to speed and strength, these predato ...
include the rare
eastern imperial,
greater spotted,
white-tailed,
Pallas's fish eagle,
grey-headed fish eagle, and the
lesser kestrel.
Kaziranga was once home to seven species of
vulture
A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. There are 23 extant species of vulture (including Condors). Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to North a ...
s, but the vulture population reached near extinction, supposedly by feeding on animal carcasses containing the drug
Diclofenac
Diclofenac, sold under the brand name Voltaren, among others, is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) used to treat pain and inflammatory diseases such as gout. It is taken by mouth or rectally in a suppository, used by injection, o ...
.
Only the
Indian vulture,
slender-billed vulture, and
white-rumped vulture have survived.
[ ] Game birds include the
swamp francolin,
Bengal florican, and
pale-capped pigeon.
Other families of birds inhabiting Kaziranga include the
great pied hornbill
The great hornbill (''Buceros bicornis''), also known as the concave-casqued hornbill, great Indian hornbill or great pied hornbill, is one of the larger members of the hornbill family. It occurs in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. It ...
and
wreathed hornbill,
Old World babblers such as
Jerdon's and
marsh babbler
The marsh babbler (''Pellorneum palustre'') is a member of the family Pellorneidae. The marsh babbler is endemic to the Brahmaputra floodplain, its associated tributaries and adjacent hill ranges in Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya in India ...
s,
weaver bird
Ploceidae is a family of small passerine birds, many of which are called weavers, weaverbirds, weaver finches and bishops. These names come from the nests of intricately woven vegetation created by birds in this family. In most recent classifi ...
s such as the common
baya weaver, threatened
Finn's weavers,
thrushes such as
Hodgson's bushchat
The white-throated bush chat (''Saxicola insignis''), also known as Hodgson's bushchat, is an Old World flycatcher in the genus ''Saxicola''. It is IUCN Red Listed as Vulnerable by BirdLife International. In 2001, the global population has been ...
and
Old World warblers such as the
bristled grassbird
The bristled grassbird (''Schoenicola striatus'') is a small passerine bird in the genus ''Schoenicola''. Also known as the bristled grass warbler, this species is endemic to the Indian subcontinent, where it is patchily distributed in Bangladesh ...
. Other threatened species include the
black-breasted parrotbill
The black-breasted parrotbill (''Paradoxornis flavirostris'') is a 19 cm long, large, thick-billed parrotbill with black patches on the head-sides and throat. Formerly placed with the typical warblers in the Sylviidae (Jønsson & Fjeldså 2 ...
and the
rufous-vented grass babbler.
Two of the largest snakes in the world, the
reticulated python and
Indian rock python, as well as the longest venomous snake in the world, the
king cobra, inhabit the park. Other snakes found here include the
Indian cobra
The Indian cobra (''Naja naja''), also known as the spectacled cobra, Asian cobra, or binocellate cobra, is a species of cobra found in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Bhutan, and a member of the "big four" species tha ...
,
monocled cobra
The monocled cobra (''Naja kaouthia''), also called monocellate cobra and Indian spitting cobra, is a venomous cobra species widespread across South and Southeast Asia and listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Taxonomy
The scientific n ...
,
Russell's viper, and the
common krait.
Monitor lizard
Monitor lizards are lizards in the genus ''Varanus,'' the only extant genus in the family Varanidae. They are native to Africa, Asia, and Oceania, and one species is also found in the Americas as an invasive species. About 80 species are reco ...
species found in the park include the
Bengal monitor
The Bengal monitor (''Varanus bengalensis''), also called the common Indian monitor, is a monitor lizard distributed widely in the Indian Subcontinent, as well as parts of Southeast Asia and West Asia. This large lizard is mainly a terrestrial a ...
and the
Asian water monitor.
Other reptiles include fifteen species of
turtle
Turtles are an order of reptiles known as Testudines, characterized by a special shell developed mainly from their ribs. Modern turtles are divided into two major groups, the Pleurodira (side necked turtles) and Cryptodira (hidden necked ...
, such as the
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found els ...
Assam roofed turtle and one species of tortoise, the
brown tortoise
The Asian forest tortoise (''Manouria emys''), also known commonly as the Mountain tortoise, is a species of tortoise in the family Testudinidae. The species is endemic to Southeast Asia. It is believed to be among the most primitive of living ...
.
42 species of fish are found in the area, including the ''
Tetraodon''.
Flora
Four main types of vegetation exist in this park. These are
alluvial inundated grasslands,
alluvial savanna woodlands,
tropical moist mixed deciduous forests, and
tropical semi-evergreen forests. Based on
Landsat
The Landsat program is the longest-running enterprise for acquisition of satellite imagery of Earth. It is a joint NASA / USGS program. On 23 July 1972, the Earth Resources Technology Satellite was launched. This was eventually renamed to L ...
data for 1986, percent coverage by vegetation is: tall grasses 41%, short grasses 11%, open jungle 29%, swamps 4%, rivers and water bodies 8%, and sand 6%.
[Kushwaha, S.& Unni, M. (1986). Applications of remote sensing techniques in forest-cover-monitoring and habitat evaluation—a case study at Kaziranga National Park, Assam, in, Kamat, D.& Panwar, H.(eds), Wildlife Habitat Evaluation Using Remote Sensing Techniques. ]Indian Institute of Remote Sensing
The Indian Institute of Remote Sensing is a premier institute for research, higher education and training in the field of remote sensing, geoinformatics and GPS technology for natural resources, environmental and disaster management under the In ...
/ Wildlife Institute of India, Dehra Dun. pp. 238–247
There is a difference in altitude between the eastern and western areas of the park, with the western side being at a lower altitude. The western reaches of the park are dominated by
grasslands. Tall elephant grass is found on higher ground, while short grasses cover the lower grounds surrounding the beels or flood-created ponds. Annual flooding, grazing by herbivores, and
controlled burn
A controlled or prescribed burn, also known as hazard reduction burning, backfire, swailing, or a burn-off, is a fire set intentionally for purposes of forest management, farming, prairie restoration or greenhouse gas abatement. A contro ...
ing maintain and fertilize the grasslands and reeds. Common tall grasses are
sugarcanes,
spear grass Spear grass or speargrass is the common name of numerous herbaceous plants worldwide including:
Poaceae (grasses)
*''Aristida'' spp.
*''Heteropogon contortus''
*''Imperata cylindrica''
*''Piptochaetium''
*''Poa'' spp.
*''Stipa'' spp.; typically ''S ...
,
elephant grass, and the
common reed
''Phragmites australis'', known as the common reed, is a species of plant. It is a broadly distributed wetland grass that can grow up to tall.
Description
''Phragmites australis'' commonly forms extensive stands (known as reed beds), which may ...
. Numerous
forbs are present along with the grasses. Amidst the grasses, providing cover and shade are scattered trees—dominant species including
kumbhi
Kumbhi is a rich village in agriculture in Warisaliganj Block, Nawada
Nawada is a city and a municipality in Bihar, India. It is also the headquarters of the Nawada district.
It is the headquarters of the subdivision of the same name, ...
,
Indian gooseberry
''Phyllanthus emblica'', also known as emblic, emblic myrobalan, myrobalan, Indian gooseberry, Malacca tree, or amla, from the Sanskrit आमलकी (āmalakī), is a deciduous tree of the family Phyllanthaceae. Its native range is tropical a ...
, the
cotton tree (in savanna woodlands), and
elephant apple (in inundated grasslands).
Thick evergreen forests, near the Kanchanjhuri, Panbari, and Tamulipathar blocks, contain trees such as ''
Aphanamixis polystachya
''Aphanamixis polystachya'', the pithraj tree, is a species of tree in the family Meliaceae. It is native to India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Sri Lanka. It is a widely used as a medicinal plant in Ayurveda.
Description
Th ...
'', ''
Talauma hodgsonii'', ''
Dillenia indica
''Dillenia indica'', commonly known as elephant apple or Ou Tenga, is a species of '' Dillenia'' native to China and tropical Asia.
Description
It is an evergreen large shrub or small to medium-sized tree growing to 15 m tall. The leaves are ...
'', ''
Garcinia
''Garcinia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Clusiaceae native to Asia, America, Australia, tropical and southern Africa, and Polynesia. The number of species is disputed; Plants of the World Online (POWO) recognise up to 400. Co ...
tinctoria'', ''
Ficus
''Ficus'' ( or ) is a genus of about 850 species of woody trees, shrubs, vines, epiphytes and hemiepiphytes in the family Moraceae. Collectively known as fig trees or figs, they are native throughout the tropics with a few species extending int ...
rumphii'', ''
Cinnamomum
''Cinnamomum'' is a genus of evergreen aromatic trees and shrubs belonging to the laurel family, Lauraceae. The species of ''Cinnamomum'' have aromatic oils in their leaves and bark. The genus contains approximately 250 species, distributed in ...
bejolghota'', and species of ''
Syzygium''. Tropical semi-evergreen forests are present near Baguri, Bimali, and Haldibari. Common trees and shrubs are ''
Albizia
''Albizia'' is a genus of more than 160 species of mostly fast-growing subtropical and tropical trees and shrubs in the subfamily Mimosoideae of the family Fabaceae. The genus is pantropical, occurring in Asia, Africa, Madagascar, America an ...
procera'', ''
Duabanga grandiflora'', ''
Lagerstroemia speciosa'', ''
Crateva unilocularis'', ''
Sterculia urens'', ''
Grewia serrulata'', ''
Mallotus philippensis
''Mallotus philippensis'' is a plant in the spurge family. It is known as the kamala tree or red kamala or kumkum tree, due to the fruit covering, which produces a red dye. However, it must be distinguished from kamala meaning "lotus" in many Ind ...
'', ''
'', ''
Aphania
''Lepisanthes'' is a genus of 24 or 25 species of trees or shrubs native to tropical Africa, south and southeast Asia, Australia, and Madagascar.
It includes species formerly classified in the genera ''Aphania'', ''Erioglossum'', and ''Otophor ...
rubra'', ''
Leea indica
''Leea indica'', the bandicoot berry, is a large shrub in the family Vitaceae. It is seen as common undergrowth in secondary and disturbed evergreen forests in Indomalaya, Indochina, Australia and Pacific Islands
Collectively called the Pa ...
'', and ''
Leea
''Leea'' ( Tagalog: ''Talyantan'') is a genus of plants that are distributed throughout Northern and eastern Australia, New Guinea, South and Southeast Asia and parts of Africa. The APG IV system places ''Leea'' in the subfamily Leeoideae (Vitace ...
umbraculifera''.
There are many different aquatic floras in the lakes and ponds, and along the river shores. The
invasive
Invasive may refer to:
*Invasive (medical) procedure
*Invasive species
*Invasive observation, especially in reference to surveillance
*Invasively progressive spread of disease from one organ in the body to another, especially in reference to cancer ...
water hyacinth
''Pontederia crassipes'' (formerly ''Eichhornia crassipes''), commonly known as common water hyacinth is an aquatic plant native to South America, naturalized throughout the world, and often invasive outside its native range.[Mimosa invisa
''Mimosa invisa'' is a species of leguminous woody shrub or vine native to South America. ''Mimosa invisa'' includes two subspecies, each with two varieties: The species is considered to be noxious and invasive in much of the United States.
*' ...]
'', which is
toxic
Toxicity is the degree to which a chemical substance or a particular mixture of substances can damage an organism. Toxicity can refer to the effect on a whole organism, such as an animal, bacterium, or plant, as well as the effect on a subs ...
to herbivores, was cleared by Kaziranga staff with help from the
Wildlife Trust of India in 2005.
Administration
The Wildlife wing of the forest department of the Government of Assam, headquartered at
Bokakhat
Bokakhat ( ) is a town in Assam and a Municipality Board in Golaghat district in the state of Assam, India. It is about 23 km away from the world heritage site Kaziranga National Park. Bokakhat town is situated almost in the middle of ...
, is responsible for the administration and management of Kaziranga.
The administrative head of the park is the Director, who is a Chief Conservator of Forests-level officer. A divisional Forest Officer is the administrative chief executive of the park. He is assisted by two officers with the rank of Assistant Conservator of Forests. The park area is divided into five ranges, overseen by Range Forest Officers.
The five ranges are the Burapahar (HQ: Ghorakati), Western (HQ: Baguri), Central (HQ: Kohora), Eastern (HQ: Agaratoli) and Northern (HQ: Biswanath). Each range is further sub-divided into beats, headed by a forester, and sub-beats, headed by a forest guard.
Th
official websiteof the Park is http://kaziranga.assam.gov.in
The park receives financial aid from the State Government as well as th
Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Changeof
Government of India
The Government of India ( ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, ...
under various Plan and Non-Plan Budgets. Additional funding is received under the
Project Elephant Project Elephant was launched in 1992 by the Government of India Ministry of Environment and Forests to provide financial and technical support to wildlife management efforts by states for their free-ranging populations of wild Asian Elephants. T ...
from the Central Government. In 1997–1998, a grant of
US$ 100,000 was received under the Technical Co-operation for Security Reinforcement scheme from the
World Heritage Fund
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...
.
Additional funding is also received from national and international
Non-governmental organizations
A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in ...
.
Conservation management
Kaziranga National Park has been granted maximum protection under the Indian law for wildlife conservation. Various laws, which range in dates from the ''Assam Forest Regulation of 1891'' and the ''Biodiversity Conservation Act of 2002'' have been enacted for protection of wildlife in the park.
Poaching activities, particularly of the rhinoceroses for its horn, has been a major concern for the authorities. Between 1980 and 2005, 567 rhinoceroses were hunted by poachers.
Following a decreasing trend for the past few years, 18 one-horned rhinoceroses were killed by poachers in 2007. Reports have suggested that there are links between these poaching activities and funding of terrorist organizations. But these could not be substantiated in later years.
Preventive measures such as construction of anti-poaching camps and maintenance of existing ones, patrolling, intelligence gathering, and control over the use of firearms around the park have reduced the number of casualties.
Since 2013, the park used cameras on drones which are monitored by security guards to protect the rhino from armed poachers.
Perennial flooding and heavy rains have resulted in death of wild animals and damage to the conservation infrastructures.
To escape the water-logged areas, many animals migrate to elevated regions outside the park boundaries where they are susceptible to hunting, hit by speeding vehicles, or subject to reprisals by villagers for damaging their crops. To mitigate the losses, the authorities have increased patrols, purchased additional speedboats for patrol, and created artificial highlands for shelter. Several corridors have been set up for the safe passage of animals across National Highway–37 which skirts around the southern boundary of the park.
[Bonal, BS & Chowdhury, S (2004), ''Evaluation of barrier effect of National Highway37 on the wildlife of Kaziranga National Park and suggested strategies and planning for providing passage: A feasibility report to the Ministry of Environment & Forests'', Government of India.] To prevent the spread of diseases and to maintain the genetic distinctness of the wild species, systematic steps such as immunization of livestock in surrounding villages and fencing of sensitive areas of the park, which are susceptible to encroachment by local cattle, are undertaken periodically.
Water pollution
Water pollution (or aquatic pollution) is the contamination of water bodies, usually as a result of human activities, so that it negatively affects its uses. Water bodies include lakes, rivers, oceans, aquifers, reservoirs and groundwater. Wate ...
due to run-off from pesticides from tea gardens, and run-off from a petroleum refinery at
Numaligarh
Numaligarh is a town in the Golaghat district of Assam, India. It is situated at a distance of 32 km from Golaghat town, 265 km from Guwahati, 51 km from Jorhat and 6 km from Morangi.
Tourism attractions
A few kilometers aw ...
, pose a hazard to the ecology of the region.
Invasive species such as
Mimosa
''Mimosa'' is a genus of about 590 species of herbs and shrubs, in the mimosoid clade of the legume family Fabaceae. The generic name is derived from the Greek word (''mimos''), an "actor" or "mime", and the feminine suffix -''osa'', "resemb ...
and wild rose have posed a threat to the native plants in the region. To control the growth and irradiation of invasive species, research on biological methods for controlling weeds, manual uprooting and weeding before seed settling are carried out at regular intervals. Grassland management techniques, such as
controlled burning, are effected annually to avoid
forest fires.
Visitor activities
Observing the wildlife, including
birding
Birdwatching, or birding, is the observing of birds, either as a recreational activity or as a form of citizen science. A birdwatcher may observe by using their naked eye, by using a visual enhancement device like binoculars or a telescope, by ...
, is the main visitor activity in and around the park. Guided tours by elephant or
Jeep
Jeep is an American automobile marque, now owned by multi-national corporation Stellantis. Jeep has been part of Chrysler since 1987, when Chrysler acquired the Jeep brand, along with remaining assets, from its previous owner American Motors ...
are available.
Hiking
Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A His ...
is prohibited in the park to avoid potential human-animal conflicts.
Observation tower
An observation tower is a structure used to view events from a long distance and to create a full 360 degree range of vision to conduct long distance observations. Observation towers are usually at least tall and are made from stone, iron, and ...
s are situated at Sohola, Mihimukh, Kathpara, Foliamari, and Harmoti for wildlife viewing. The
Lower Himalayan peaks frame the park's landscape of trees and grass interspersed with numerous
ponds. An interpretation centre is being set up at the Bagori range of Kaziranga, to help visitors learn more about the park. The park remains closed for visitors from 1 May to end-October due to monsoon rains. Four tourist lodges at Kohora and three tourist lodges outside the park are maintained by the
Department of Environment and Forests, Government of Assam
The Department of Environment and Forests, Government of Assam is a department under the Government of Assam.http://envfor.nic.in
See also
* Van Vigyan Kendra (VVK) Forest Science Centres
* Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education
Ref ...
. Private resorts are available outside the park borders.
Increase in tourist inflow has led to the economic empowerment of the people living at the fringes of the park, by means of tourism related activities, encouraging a recognition of the value of its protection.
A survey of tourists notes that 80 percent found rhino sightings most enjoyable and that foreign tourists were more likely to support park protection and employment opportunities financially, while local tourists favored support for veterinary services. Recently set up Kaziranga National Orchid and Biodiversity Park established at Durgapur village is a latest attraction to the tourists. It houses more than 500 species of orchids, 132 varieties of sour fruits and leafy vegetables, 12 species of cane, 46 species of bamboo and a large varieties of local fishes.
Transport
Authorised guides of the forest department accompany all travelers inside the park.
Mahout-guided elephant rides and
Jeep
Jeep is an American automobile marque, now owned by multi-national corporation Stellantis. Jeep has been part of Chrysler since 1987, when Chrysler acquired the Jeep brand, along with remaining assets, from its previous owner American Motors ...
or other
4WD
Four-wheel drive, also called 4×4 ("four by four") or 4WD, refers to a two-axled vehicle drivetrain capable of providing torque to all of its wheels simultaneously. It may be full-time or on-demand, and is typically linked via a transfer case ...
vehicles rides are booked in advance. Starting from the Park Administrative Centre at
Kohora
Kohora is a small town situated in the Golaghat district of Assam. It is the main entrance of the world-famous Kaziranga National Park. It lies on the National Highway 37(Asean Highway 1). Kohora Lies Between Nagaon And Golaghat.
Climate
...
, these rides can follow the three motorable trails under the jurisdiction of three ranges—Kohora, Bagori, and Agaratoli. These trails are open for light vehicles from November to end Apr. Visitors are allowed to take their own vehicles when accompanied by guides.
Buses owned by
Assam State Transport Corporation
Assam (; ) is a state in northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . The state is bordered by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh to the north; Nagaland and Manipur to ...
and private agencies between
Guwahati
Guwahati (, ; formerly rendered Gauhati, ) is the biggest city of the Indian state of Assam and also the largest metropolis in northeastern India. Dispur, the capital of Assam, is in the circuit city region located within Guwahati and is the ...
,
Tezpur
Tezpur () is a city and urban agglomeration in Sonitpur district, Assam state, India. Tezpur is located on the banks of the river Brahmaputra, northeast of Guwahati, and is the largest of the north bank cities with a population exceeding 100, ...
, and Upper Assam stop at the main gate of Kaziranga on
NH 37 at Kohora. The nearest town is Bokakhat, Golaghat situated at 23 km and 65 km away. Major cities near the park are Guwahati,
Dimapur
Dimapur () is the largest city in the Indian state of Nagaland. As of 2011, the municipality had a population of 122,834. The city is the main gateway and commercial centre of Nagaland. Located near the border with Assam along the banks of the ...
and
Jorhat .
Furkating
Furkating is the main railway junction in the Golaghat district in the state of Assam in India. It is about 10 km away from Golaghat town.
History
The wide metre-gauge railway track earlier laid by Assam Bengal Railway from Chittagong to Lu ...
, which is under the supervision of
Northeast Frontier Railway, is the nearest railway station.
Jorhat Airport
Jorhat Airport , also known as Rowriah Airport is a domestic airport serving Jorhat, Assam, India. It is located at Rowriah, which is situated 7 kilometres south-west from the city centre.
History
It was established in early 1950s and commo ...
at Rowriah ( away),
Tezpur Airport
Tezpur Airport , also known as Salonibari Air Force Station, is a regional airport and an Indian Air Force Station serving Tezpur, Assam, India. It is located in Salonibari, which is situated 8.5 km (5.2 mi) from the city centre.
The airpo ...
at Salonibari (approx away),
Dimapur Airport
Dimapur Airport is a domestic airport serving Chümoukedima–Dimapur and its neighbouring areas. It is located between the districts of Chümoukedima and Dimapur, from where National Highway 29 (formerly NH-39) passes just beside the airpor ...
and
Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport in Guwahati (approximately away) are the nearby airports.. Transportation is also available from Guwahati to Kaziranga National Park and other places in Assam and
Nagaland
Nagaland () is a landlocked States and union territories of India, state in the northeast India, northeastern region of India. It is bordered by the Indian states of Arunachal Pradesh to the north, Assam to the west, Manipur to the south and the ...
.
In popular culture
Kaziranga has been the theme of, or has been mentioned in, several books, songs, and documentaries. The park first gained international prominence after
Robin Banerjee, a physician-turned-photographer and filmmaker, produced a documentary titled ''Kaziranga'', which was aired on television in
Berlin
Berlin is Capital of Germany, the capital and largest city of Germany, both by area and List of cities in Germany by population, by population. Its more than 3.85 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European U ...
in 1961 and became a runaway success. American
science fiction
Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imagination, imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, Paral ...
and
fantasy author,
L. Sprague de Camp wrote about the park in his poem, ''"
Kaziranga, Assam"''. It was first published in 1970 in ''
Demons and Dinosaurs
''Demons and Dinosaurs'' is a 1970 collection of poetry by American writer L. Sprague de Camp, published by Arkham House in an edition of 500 copies. It was de Camp's first book published by Arkham House.
In addition to de Camp's poems, the book ...
'', a
poetry
Poetry (derived from the Greek '' poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings ...
collection, and was reprinted as ''Kaziranga'' in ''
Years in the Making: the Time-Travel Stories of L. Sprague de Camp'' in 2005.
''Kaziranga Trail'' (
Children's Book Trust
Children's Book Trust (CBT) is an Indian children and young adult book publisher. It was founded by cartoonist K. Shankar Pillai, popularly known as Shankar, in 1957 and was inaugurated by the President of India Dr. S. Radhakrishnan. It is hous ...
, 1979), a
children's storybook by Arup Dutta about rhinoceros poaching in the national park, won the Shankar's Award. The Assamese singer
Bhupen Hazarika refers to Kaziranga in one of his songs.
The
BBC conservationist and travel writer,
Mark Shand
Mark Roland Shand (28 June 1951 – 23 April 2014) was a British travel writer and conservationist and the brother of Queen Camilla. Shand was the author of four travel books and as a BBC conservationist, appeared in documentaries related to h ...
, authored a book and the corresponding BBC documentary ''
Queen of the Elephants'', based on the life of the first female mahout in recent times—
Parbati Barua of Kaziranga. The book went on to win the 1996
Thomas Cook Travel Book Award and the
Prix Litteraire d'Amis, providing publicity simultaneously to the profession of mahouts as well as to Kaziranga.
Controversy
In 2017, Kaziranga came under severe criticism after a
BBC News
BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...
documentary revealed a hardliner strategy to conservation, reporting the killing of 20 people a year in the name of rhino conservation.
As a consequence of this reporting, BBC News was banned from filming in protected areas in India for 5 years.
While several news reports claimed that BBC had apologized for the documentary, the BBC stood by its report, with its Director General, Tony Hall, writing in a letter to
Survival International
Survival International is a human rights organisation formed in 1969, a London based charity that campaigns for the collective rights, rights of indigenous peoples, indigenous and/or tribal peoples and uncontacted peoples.
The organisation's ca ...
that "the letter “in no way constitutes an apology for our journalism.”"
As a response to the report, researchers in India have provided more nuanced understanding of the matter, calling out BBC for the carelessness of its journalism, but also pointing to the problems of conservation in Kaziranga
and questioning whether shoot-at-sight has been a useful conservation strategy at all.
Economic valuation
Kaziranga Tiger Reserve estimated its annual flow benefits to be 9.8 billion rupees (0.95 lakh / hectare). Important ecosystem services included habitat and refugia for wildlife (5.73 billion), gene-pool protection (3.49 billion), recreation value (21 million), biological
control (150 million) and
sequestration of carbon (17 million).
See also
*
Biodiversity of Assam
The biodiversity of Assam (), a state in North-East India, makes it a biological hotspot with many rare and endemic plant and animal species. The greatest success in recent years has been the conservation of the Indian rhinoceros at the Kazi ...
*
Climate of Kaziranga National Park
* ''
Jaws of Death
Jaws or Jaw may refer to:
Anatomy
* Jaw, an opposable articulated structure at the entrance of the mouth
** Mandible, the lower jaw
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Jaws (James Bond), a character in ''The Spy Who Loved Me'' and ''Moonraker''
* ...
'', a documentary
*
Kaziranga Elephant Festival
*
List of national parks of India
*
Manas National Park
*
Rhino poaching in Assam
Rhino poaching in Assam is one of the major environmental issues in India which continues in the region of Kaziranga National Park, Manas National Park and some other grasslands of Assam. Indian rhinoceros inhabited most of the floodplain of the ...
*
Tourism in North East India
Northeast India consists of the eight states Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura. Tourism in this area is based around the unique Himalayan landscape and culture distinct from the rest of ...
References
Notes
* Ghosh, S., Nandy, S., & Kumar, A. S. Rapid assessment of recent flood episode in Kaziranga National Park, Assam using remotely sensed satellite data. Current Science, 111(9), 1450–1451.
Further information
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
* ''
Jaws of Death
Jaws or Jaw may refer to:
Anatomy
* Jaw, an opposable articulated structure at the entrance of the mouth
** Mandible, the lower jaw
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Jaws (James Bond), a character in ''The Spy Who Loved Me'' and ''Moonraker''
* ...
''—a 2005 documentary by Gautam Saikia about Kaziranga animals being hit by vehicular traffic while crossing National Highway 37, winner of the Vatavaran Award.
*
*
*
External links
Official website of Kaziranga*
*
Department of Environment and Forests (Government of Assam)–Kaziranga*
ttps://web.archive.org/web/20171021164011/https://www.assamvisit.com/listing/kaziranga-national-park-world-heritage-site/ Best things to do in Kaziranga National ParkRhino census in India's Kaziranga park counts 12 more
{{Authority control
Brahmaputra Valley semi-evergreen forests
Tiger reserves of India
Geography of Assam
National parks in Assam
Protected areas established in 1974
World Heritage Sites in India
Important Bird Areas of India
Tourism in Northeast India
Tourist attractions in Assam
Tourism in Assam
1908 establishments in British India
Protected areas established in 1908