Kaziranga National Park is situated in one of the ‘Biodiversity Hot-spots’ of the world and is home to India’s Big Four - the Great Indian One Horned Rhinoceros, the Royal Bengal Tiger , the Asian Elephant, and the Asiatic Buffalo. It is also home to the largest number of Swamp Deer in Eastern India, this place is also one of the finest bird watching destinations in the world. In addition to numerous species of resident birds, it serves as the winter visiting ground for many migratory birds. Kaziranga is located at the intersection of both the Australasian and the Indo-Asian flyways, with the result that its bird count hovers around the 500 species mark. Several of the species are found only in North East India while others are exclusive to the grassland habitat found inside the park. Kaziranga National Park lies in the flood plains of the Brahmaputra River. It is enclosed by Karbi Anglong in the south, and the Brahmaputra in the north. The numerous water bodies are rich reservoirs of food (including fish) which attract thousands of migratory birds from as far as Siberia. 

The high intensity 1950 earthquake raised the riverbed of the Brahmaputra and along with gradual silt deposition, every year with the onset of the monsoons, it overspills its banks and savagely ravages the surrounding areas. Three-quarters or more of the area is submerged annually by the flood waters. This seasonal flooding causes many animals to move to higher ground, both within and outside the park. The animals that move out of the park become vulnerable to hunting and reprisals from local villagers. To reach the high grounds of the Karbi Anglong hills the animals have to cross a National Highway and a number of them get killed by the speeding vehicles. On the flip side, the floods play a crucial role for Kaziranga. They keep the area marshy - a must for the rhino and the swamp deer. The grasslands owe their existence to the floods - without floods the grasslands would turn into forested areas. The disappearance of the grasslands would lead to the disappearance of the herbivores that thrive on this grass. Migratory birds come to Kaziranga because of the numerous water bodies, which are rich reservoirs of food. 

The hilly portion of this forest lies within Karbi Anglong Autonomous District of Assam, where the bulk of the Assam forest is conserved, the second largest district of India, having a total land mass of 10438 sq. kms, eighty percent of which is reserved forest. Five Wild Life sanctuaries are conserved in this district at the initiative of the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council and a principal portion of Asia’s largest Dhansiri reserve forest comes within the administrative jurisdiction of Karbi Anglong West Forest Division.    

It is a vast expanse of elephant grass, marshland and dense rainforest. But conservationists say that wildlife in Kaziranga national park in the Northeastern state of Assam is in danger because of the notorious National Highway 37 which cuts through the park as the main overland road link between the North East and the rest of India. 

They say that unless the volume of traffic on the highway is brought under control, more and more of these rare animals are going to end up either killed or injured. 

They are especially concerned over what they say are plans by the central and state governments to widen the road to four lanes. 

The staff does not believe in using their guns on charging rhinos or elephant bulls

“If this goes ahead, the already high casualty level of animals killed on the road will increase exponentially,” said a prominent member of a famous conservation NGO. “It’s possible that work to widen the road could begin as early as next year.” 

Conservationists argue that the problem is especially difficult during the monsoon season when the heavy rains force animals to cross the highway in search of higher ground to escape the floods. 

Many do so at night time, which makes it more dangerous for wildlife and traffic alike on a road used by more than 1,000 vehicles between dusk and dawn and three times that amount during the day. 

“The road may be a lifeline that connects Assam with the rest of India, but for animals it is a death trap, and each year the problem gets worse and worse,” says another conservationist and animal lover of the area. “When it rains, the low-lying areas of the park become uninhabitable for the animals - often 80% of it is submerged. The animals have no choice but to cross the road - usually heading south towards the Karbi Anglong Hills to find food. But it’s during this move that they are at risk of being run over the most.” Mr. S. Tereng a senior citizen of the locality says that the problem is made worse because much of the land on higher ground has been bought up by hotel groups and property development companies. 

“We are fast reaching a situation where there is literally nowhere for the animals to go,” he said.  Forestry officials have tried to combat the problem by constructing animal corridors across various parts of the N-37. They are manned 24 hours a day, with guards on duty to slow speeding vehicles and help the animals cross as safely as possible. 

Forestry officers at the park say it’s next to impossible to get traffic to slow down enough to avoid an accident. 

“You have to remember that if we put too many resources into traffic calming measures we may take our eye off the ball when it comes to dealing with poachers, who also pose a big threat to the park’s wildlife,” an official told the BBC. 

All this is a far cry from when the park was founded as a forestry reserve in 1905. Then animals could roam across a far larger area where and when they liked. 

But the rhino population then had dwindled to only about 10 to 20 creatures because of rampant poaching. 

The decision to declare Kaziranga a reserve forest and later a national park proved life-saving for them.  By 1966, the rhino population had risen to 366 and the quality of conservation got even better when Kaziranga was declared a national park in 1974. 

It is now home to two-thirds of the world’s Great One-Horned Rhino population in addition to the highest density of tigers in a protected area in the world. 

The number of Royal Bengal tigers in this World Heritage Site is more than that of Ranthambhore and Kanha tiger parks in North India put together. 

There are more than 1,700 rhinos in the park, despite some casualties due to Assam’s devastating floods and poaching. 

“We need the same kind of drive and determination to save the animals now as was shown then,” said Mr .Terang. 

“The Asiatic water buffalo, the Royal Bengal tiger, the Asiatic elephant and swamp deer all roam the park. These animals along with the one-horned rhino make the Big Five of Kaziranga, but none of these is completely safe from traffic, especially heavy trucks.” 

The 450 sq km National Park also has the world’s highest concentration of Asiatic elephants and Asiatic buffalos.  Wildlife experts have said that the Kaziranga buffaloes are the purest breed anywhere in the world.  Kaziranga’s Asiatic water buffalo count is more than 1,500 while its elephant population numbers over 1,048. 

The national park is also renowned for its fauna. Ornithologists have documented over 500 species of birds at Kaziranga, at least a 100 more than India’s most renowned bird sanctuary - Bharatpur. It also has a wide range of primates. Of the 14 species found in India, nine are in Kaziranga and outlying wildlife reserves alone. Behind the conservation success the dedication of the staff is most important. Its staff lives in terrible conditions, face gunfire, floods and jungle-fire - yet when they are transferred from Kaziranga, they leave with tears in their eyes. The staff does not believe in using their guns on charging rhinos or elephant bulls - “Bullets are for poachers” is what they say. Till date 12 foresters have sacrificed their lives so that the rhino and other species of Indian wildlife can survive in Kaziranga National Park.

Sushanta Roy