Kaziranga submerged, three rhinos dead

“A large number of animals have shifted to the highlands, located south of National Highway 37, with our staff and volunteers keeping a watch over the heavy traffic on the highway,” said Dibyadhar Gogoi, Divisional Forest Officer of Kaziranga.

On Monday morning, traffic came to a grinding halt on the highway when a herd of 50 elephants took its own time to shift from the park to Karbi Anglong highlands; a large number of hog deer and swamp deer also crossed over to safer places. However, one hog deer was run over by a speeding vehicle near Bagori. This happened despite the forest and district authorities putting up seven barricades so that the park’s animals are able to safely cross the highway through the natural corridor.

“The district authorities of Golaghat and Nagaon have imposed Section 144 along the entire stretch of the highway that constitutes the southern boundary of the park. Our staff and the volunteers of several NGOs have been working day and night to keep vigil so that the animals are not knocked down by vehicles,” said Gogoi.

Floods have also prompted some rhinos to stray into human habitations in search of food. Two rhinos were seen moving around Dergaon area in Golaghat district on the eastern side of the park for seven weeks. Park guards have at their disposal a dozen speedboats and a fleet of country-made boats to keep vigil so that animals do not fall prey to poachers.