Kaziranga National Park

Geography

Kaziranga is a title of a remarkable success story of conservation of the One Horned India Rhinoceros and other wild lives in the North East India. It is not only the homeland of the Great Indian One Horned Rhinoceros, but also provides shelter to a variety of wild lives.
Kaziranga National Park lies partly in Golaghat District and partly in Nagaon District of Assam. It is the oldest park in assam covers an area of 430 Sq kms along the river Brahmaputra on the North and the Karbi Anglong hills on the South. The National Highway 37 passes through the park area and tea estates, hemmed by table-top tea bushes. One can even see the rhinos and wild elephants straying near the highway .

History

The first step to saving the rhino came about in July 1902, when the Zoological Garden, Calcutta requested Mr J.C. Arbuthnott, the Officiating Commissioner of the Assam Valley Districts, for an adolescent rhino for its conservation campaign. In his discussions with the Chief Commissioner of Assam he pointed out the dwindling rhino population due to their being hunted, but felt that the remaining few still stood a chance of being saved. The Chief Commissioner responded positively and Kaziranga forest block was identified as the place for establishing an asylum for the rhinoceros.
In January 1905, during a trip to Assam, Lady Curzon visited an area close to the present-day Kaziranga National Park, as she had heard stories of its rich fauna. She was taken on an elephant with the mahout being a gentleman who the locals used to call Nigona shikari. Nigona was a self-taught naturalist and knew the jungle inside out. As they went deeper into the forest, Nigona pointed out a rhino in the distance to Lady Curzon. She did not believe him thinking it was a buffalo. By the time they arrived at the spot the animal had disappeared. When Nigona pointed out a series of fresh pugmarks that had three toes on each foot, she was convinced. While answering her questions on the rhino he aired his concern about the indiscriminate killing of the animal. When she wanted to know as to how the rhino could be saved Nigona simply said -" Stop the sahibs from killing them". On her return to Calcutta, Lady Curzon pressed her husband who was the Viceroy of India to issue orders that would prohibit the hunting of rhinos in Assam.
On 1st June 1905, an area of 57,273.6 acres was declared as the Kaziranga Proposed Reserve Forest, and in 1908 it was established as a Reserve Forest. In 1926 Kaziranga was declared a Forest Reserve and hunting was banned. In 1974 it was declared a National Park.

Flora & Fauna

The flora in Kaziranga National Park chiefly constitute of three major types: alluvial inundated grasslands comprising of tall thickets of elephant grass and short grasses, tropical wet evergreen forests and tropical semi-evergreen forests. But, the main characteristics of flora in Kaziranga are the dense and tall elephant grass intermixed by small swamplands left behind by the receding floodwaters of the river Brahmaputra.
In addition to grasses and forests, the swamps of Kaziranga National Park have an abundant cover of water lilies, water hyacinth and lotus, providing a beautiful look to the surroundings of the park. Rattan Cane, which is a type of climbing palm, also adds to the natural beauty of Kaziranga National Park. According to a Landsat data for 1986, the different vegetation coverage in Kaziranga National Park is as follows: Tall thickets of elephant grasses 41%, short grasses 11%, open jungle 29%, rivers and water bodies 8%, sand 6% and swamps 4%.
A moderate climate combined with the availability of enough food resources supports the growth and survival of a unique and diverse wildlife in Kaziranga National Park. Apart from being a rich natural habitat for the great Indian One-horned Rhinos, Kaziranga Wildlife Sanctuary also has a sizable population of the Wild Buffalos and Indian Elephants. Herds of wild elephants, some times numbering up to 200, can be seen migrating from the Mikir hills to the bheels (marshes or ox-bow lakes), offering the most spectacular view to the wildlife enthusiasts.
Kaziranga National Park also shelters about 15 species of India's threatened mammals. Apart from the above mentioned three, other most notable wildlife of Kaziranga National Park include the majestic Tigers, the main predator of the sanctuary and the only natural enemy of the Rhinos, Leopards, Barasinghas (Swamp Deer), Hog Deer, Barking Deer, Sambar, Pygmy Hog, Sloth Bears, Jungle Cats, Otters, Hog Badgers, Leopard Cats, Chital, Para, Gibbons, Capped Langur, Rock Python, Monitor Lizards, water buffalos, and the odd Wild Boar. The Ganges Dolphins, Otters, Rock Pythons and other varieties of snakes, and Turtles are the other popular animals of the Kaziranga Wildlife Sanctuary.
Indian One-horned Rhinos (900), tigers (50), leopards (20), elephants (700), barasingha or swamp deer (700), barking deer (300), wild boar (700), para or hog deer (7000), Bison (22), Sambar (400), leopard cats, otters(300), Hoolock Gibbons, golden Langurs, Wild Buffaloes (600), Slow Loris, pygmy hog, capped langur and bears (50).

Kaziranga National Park Climate

The best month to visit the Park is December, when the bird population touches a peak. Elephants are the best way to commute in the jungle. Jeep can also be hired from the office of forest department, but it restricts movement to the trails.

Park Visiting Time

On Elephant Back: 0500 to 0600 hrs, 0630 to 0730 hrs and 1530 to 1630 hrs.
By Road : 0800 to 1100 hrs and 1400 to 1630 hrs.

How To Reach Kaziranga National Park

Flight : The nearest airport is situated at Guwahati, which is 217-km away from the park. The other airport is located at Jorhat, 96-km from Kaziranga.

Train : The nearest railhead is Furkating, situated 75-km away from Kaziranga National Park.

Road : The main gate for Kaziranga Wildlife Sanctuary, at Kohora on the NH-37, consists of a handful of cafes and a small local market. ASTC and private buses stop here on their way to and from Guwahati, Tezpur and Upper Assam. Some private buses also retain a seat quota for Kaziranga passengers.