A total of 44 anti-poaching camps at Kaziranga National Park in Assam have been inundated due to floods.
According to the park authorities, almost 18 percent of the park has been submerged under water due to the increasing flood in the area.
The authority has informed that 44 out of 223 anti-poaching camps of the Park have been inundated by the flood waters of the Brahmaputra river, although the authority took proactive and adequate measures to protect the wild animals. Out of 44 camps, 14 are under the Agoratoli wildlife range, 8 under the Biswanath wildlife division, 6 under Kaziranga and Burapahar range, and 5 under the Bagori range.
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Four wild animals including a leopard and three hog deer were killed and one died while being under treatment due to flood-related incidents, ANI reported.
In view of the probable flood situation in the Kaziranga National Park and to protect human lives as well as the lives of wild animals during the emergent situation, the Bokakhat sub-divisional magistrate has imposed various restrictions, regulated the speed of vehicles in the exercise of the powers conferred U/S 144 Cr. P.C. in the stretch of NH-37 starting from Panbari animal corridor to district/sub-divisional western boundary near Bagori.
Ramesh Gogoi, DFO of Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve conveyed to ANI, "The animals are yet to come out of the park, but we are on alert. On May 12, four animals including a leopard died in vehicle related incidents. The water level is now increasing in the park and if the water level of Brahmaputra river keeps rising then it will inundate more areas of the park.” The situation is indeed grave for Kaziranga.
Moreover, one hog deer was drowned, one died during treatment, while three were killed in road accidents and two died either due to old age or disease. One leopard was also killed in road accident, said KNP Director Jatindra Sarma.
The park now has a total of 144 man-made highlands, including 33 large shelters, for the animals to take refuge when flood water rises. However, they are not enough to shelter all the animals when flood condition deteriorates.