Kaziranga nightmare

AN EXPERT team which visited Kaziranga National Park in Assam to assess the
damage caused by floods reported that nearly 1,070 animals died due to starvation or were washed away. The floods
led to the death of 40 one-horned
rhinos, seven elephants, 983 hog deers,
19 wild boars, 13 sambhars and eight
swamp deers. However, the toll is much
less than the 1988 floods, which
claimed two tigers among many other
animals. The park director, B S Bonal,
admitted that the toll was on the
higher side, yet the one-horned
rhino population will recover soon as
they are prolific breeders. At present
there are nearly 1,200 rhinos inhabiting
the park.

The loss to the park has been estimated to be over Rs 2 crore. The environment ministry has released Rs 58 lakh for the park while Rs 50 lakh is
lying underutilised from last year. The
immediate need is to begin the restoration work, says Bonal. He believes that
watchtowers, motorable roads and high mounds have to be reconstructed
to ensure the safety of the animals.