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A Run In With Rhino!!!


Kaziranga National Park is famous for the one-horned rhinoceros but did you know there was a time there were very few rhinoceros found there? Due to hunting and poaching the numbers reduced to almost nothing but due to the efforts of WWF and Government of India we have successfully protected this incredible species. Let’s know more about the beautiful Kaziranga National Park!!!

Kaziranga National Park was formed in 1905 and consisted of 232km2 of elephant grass, marshlands and dense tropical moist broadleaf forests. In 1904, Mary Curzon, Baroness of Kedleston went to this area to see the famous rhinos but when she was unable to spot any of these beautiful species she persuades her husband, Viceroy of India, Lord Curzon of Kedleston to protect that area and convert it into “Kaziranga Proposed Reserve Forest”. In 1908 152 km2 more area was added to the reserve and in 1968 it was given the title of “National Park”. In 1985 UNESCO declared Kaziranga as a “World Heritage Site”.

 Other than having the famous rhinoceros, it is also home to the elegant Royal Bengal Tiger and used to have the highest density of tigers until recently. It is home to elephants, wild Asiatic water buffalos, eastern swamp deer, wild boar, hog deer etc. The one-horned rhinoceros, Royal Bengal Tiger, Asiatic Elephant, Wild Water Buffalo and Swamp Deer are considered as the “Big Five” of Kaziranga.

 Kaziranga is rich in flora as it is in fauna, common tall grasses are sugarcanes, spear grass, elephant grass and common reed. In the thick evergreen forest areas, near kanchanjhuri, panbari and tamulipathar blocks you will find trees such as Aphanamixis, Polystachya, Talauma Hodgsonii etc.

 On your way to Kaziranga you will see that animals are crossing the roads and people living there are also in peace with these beautiful creatures. The best time to visit Kaziranga is from November to April, it is partially open in October and May but it is fully closed from June to September. My family visited Kaziranga in October so we couldn’t visit the part we were so interested in and we couldn’t even get the elephant safari due to the weather, so I would suggest you go during November to April which is the best time to visit for a safari. You will find numerous hotels in the region and souvenir shops are also spread all over the area. The breathtakingly beautiful roads will open your eyes and the greenery of this area will make you want to live there forever.

 Although Kaziranga is a bit far from north India it is a place you must visit, it teaches shows us the nature in a way you have never seen before. The abundance of wildlife will shock you, when you enter the reserve you will find all these astonishing species walking beside you not attacking you but watching you in peace. Kaziranga is truly a very beautiful place and a sanctuary for the amazing fauna of our country.

By: Tunnisha Das Gupta (FullFry)