Kaziranga National Park To Remain Close From March 26 To Conduct One-Horned Rhino Census

During the three days, the forest will be restricted to elephant safari in all ranges, while jeep safari will be halted in different ranges on separate days according to the schedule.

Kaziranga National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is known for its steep woodland, thick elephant grass, rough reeds, marshes, and tiny lakes, and is home to the Great Indian one-horned rhinoceros. The Assam Forest Department stated on Wednesday that a census of the one-horned rhino population will be held in Kaziranga National Park from March 26 to 28. Two-thirds of the world’s population of the species lives in the Unesco World Heritage site in the North-Eastern state.

“The 14th Rhino Population Estimation 2022 scheduled on March 26-28 in all the ranges of the national park,” stated a notice issued by Ramesh Kumar Gogoi, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of Eastern Assam Wildlife Division. As per the guidelines by DFO, all tourist safaris (including the jeep safari and elephant safari) will remain closed on the days of population census.

“The Rhino population estimation is a mandatory management practice and suspension of tourism activities during the period is necessary for the interest of the smooth conduct of the estimation,” the DFO mentioned in the notice issued.

Check this official notice:

pic.twitter.com/kiguvi4txF

— Kaziranga National Park & Tiger Reserve (@kaziranga_) March 9, 2022

The most recent rhino census in Kaziranga National Park took place in 2018, with a population of 2,413. Kaziranga National Park is located in Assam’s Golaghat District and Nagaon District. It is Assam’s oldest park, spanning 430 square kilometres between the Brahmaputra River on the north and the Karbi Anglong Hills on the south. The park area and tea estates are boxed in by table-top tea bushes as National Highway 37 goes through. Rhinos and wild elephants can even be seen wandering along the highway.

(With inputs from ANI)