As many as 159 wild animals, including nine rhinos, have died due to the devastating floods in Assam’s Kaziranga National Park, according to park authorities on Wednesday.
The Field Director of Kaziranga National Park, Sonali Ghosh, reported that out of the 159 wild animal casualties, 128 hog deer, nine rhinos, two swamp deer, and two sambar deer drowned in floodwaters. Additionally, 12 hog deer, one swamp deer, a rhesus macaque, and an otter pup died under care. Two hog deer were killed by vehicle collisions, and another otter pup died from other causes.
Despite these losses, the park authority and the forest department have managed to rescue 133 animals during the floods, releasing 111 of them after treatment. “Seven rescued animals, including two rhino calves and two elephant calves, are currently under treatment,” Sonali Ghosh added.
The flood situation in the park has marginally improved, but 62 of the 233 forest camps within the park remain underwater, with four camps evacuated. The core area of Kaziranga National Park covers 430 square kilometers, home to over 2,600 one-horned rhinoceros.
The Assam floods have recently worsened, with seven lives lost in the past 24 hours, bringing the total death toll to 79 this year. According to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority’s report on Tuesday, the recent victims were from Cachar, Dhubri, South Salmara, Dhemaji, Nagaon, and Sivasagar.
Over 1.717 million people across 26 districts are still affected by the floods. Rescue teams from the NDRF, SDRF, Fire & Emergency Services, and local administration are actively engaged in relief efforts in the flood-hit areas.
