Floods in Assam killing animals

AFFECTING ANIMALS: More than half of Kaziranga national park has been submerged.

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Assam: The massive scale of floods in Bihar has diverted attention away from floods in other parts of the east. In Assam, large parts of the Kaziranga and Pobitra national parks are under water.

Everyday inside the Kaziranga National Park it's a relentless battle for life for animals. More than half of Kaziranga has been submerged. Two rhinos have died in these floods. A tiger has killed one rhino calf, that apart four deer and one elephant have also failed to survive.

"The rhinos stay in water near our camps but as soon as the flood waters are rising they have immense difficulty in getting food and they move to the highlands,” says forest guard, Robin Singh.

Pobitora shelters 81 rhinos. It has the highest density of rhinos in the world, five in every sq km of its core area. Seven of the 22 camps in the sanctuary are under water, while some others have been partially submerged. Food shortage has left the animals weak and under strain.

There have been no flood related deaths this year in Pobitora. With 90 per cent of the forest under water, patrolling has been intensified with ten additional boats, and the forest guards are maintaining round-the-clock surveillance.

“As you can see the floodwater is rising now and animals are moving towards artificial lands. Last time we provided trees, foliage and grass for the animals. This year also we plan to provide them for animals on the highlands,” says forest ranger, Pobitora Sanctury, Mukul Tamuli.

As the river rises and Rs 700 crore have been released for flood relief. The challenge for the park authorities is to ensure that these animals are safe do not stray away from the park