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EXPLORING……………

THE KAZIRANGA NATIONAL PARK

–THE WILD BECKONS US

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WHERE IS THE PARK?

The Kaziranga National Parks is in

Assam. It is spread over two districts

— Galaghot and Nagaon — of the

state. The park is famous for its one-

horned rhinoceroses. In fact the park

is home to two-thirds of the world’s

existing one-horned rhinos. The park

is also famous for its tigers. It was

declared a Tiger Reserve in 2006.

The park is also home to many

elephants, buffaloes, deer, etc. One

can also spot interesting and

different species of birds in the area.

To house so many animals, the park

has to be a dense forest. The

Kaziranga National Park is a forest

which is known for its marshlands and

is a dense tropical forest.

The park has many small water bodies

and the furious Brahmaputra River

runs through the park.

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FROM A PARK TO A PROTECTED NATIONAL PARK

National parks in India also have a history to tell. So is the case with

Kaziranga. The park became a protected zone only in the first half of the

20th Century. The history of the park becoming a protected area can be

traced back to the year 1904. In this year Mary Victoria Curzon, the wife of

Lord Curzon — the famous Viceroy of India — visited the area. It is said

that she visited the area for spotting rhinoceroses. However, she could not

spot any of them. This is when she started persuading the Viceroy to do

something about the declining number of rhinos in the area. In the year 1905

the Kaziranga Proposed Reserve Forest was created. This included an

enclosed area of 232 sq. km.

Work went on in the area and over a period of three years the boundaries

were extended to include an additional 152 sq. km. In 1908 Kaziranga was

declared as a Reserve Forest. In 1916 the forest was converted into a game

sanctuary. It came to be called The Kaziranga Game Sanctuary. Hunting was

permitted and many people actually went to the sanctuary for hunting game.

The park was known as a game sanctuary till 1938. This is when hunting was

prohibited and entry of visitors was restricted.

P.D. Stracey, a forest conservationist, changed the name of the sanctuary

from a game sanctuary to the Kaziranga Wildlife Sanctuary in 1950. The

park became a national park in 1968 when the government of Assam passed

the Assam National Park Act.

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PAINT A RHINO

Have you ever spotted a rhino? Well, it is an endangered animal but you can

paint a rhino to see what it looks like. You can see pictures of the animal and

paint this poor, almost-extinct creature.

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WHAT’S IN THERE? LOTS OF

ANIMALS…………….

The Kaziranga National Park houses 35 species of

animals. The sad news is that 15 of these 35 fall

under the category of threatened species as per

the IUCN Red List. Some of the rare species

found in the park is the Great Indian One-horned

Rhinoceros, Wild Asiatic Water Buffalo, and the

Eastern Swamp Deer.

The Great Indian One-horned Rhinoceros: It is a

large mammal which is found mostly found in north-

eastern India and Nepal. The Indian Rhinoceros

can run at a great speed of 40 km/h and is also a

good swimmer. It is an endangered animal.

Wild Asiatic Water Buffalo: The Wild Asiatic

Water Buffalo belongs to the bovine family. It is

an endangered species. The main reason for its

endangerment is pollution.

Eastern Swamp Deer: This species of deer, like

the Indian Rhinoceros, is found only in India and

Nepal. The most striking feature of this deer is

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its antlers. It is also known as Barasingha (deer

with 12 horns) in Hindi and Dolhorina (swamp deer)

in Assamese.

Apart from this, tigers, leopards, and elephants

are also found in the park. The Bengal Fox, Golden

Jackal, Sloth Bear, Golden Langur, Small and Large

Indian Civet, Indian Pangolins, Assamese Macaque,

and Hoolock Gibbon are some of the rare and

interesting animals which are found in the park.

The park is also home to a number of birds.

FUN WITH ANIMALS…………

Everyone goes to Kaziranga to spot the Great Indian Rhinoceros. But, as you have read,

the park is also famous for other animals. So, if you visit the park, which animal other

than the rhino will you like to spot? Pen down your choices here….

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BIRDS, TREES, FLOWERS, AND

PLANTS…..KAZIRANGA HAS IT

ALL………

The Kaziranga National Park is also famous

for its birds. It is also an Important Bird

Area. It is home to a variety of migratory

birds, birds of prey, water birds, and game

birds. Some unique birds found in the park

are Black-necked Stork, Ferruginous Duck,

Black-bellied Tern, Grey-headed Fish

Eagle, Indian White-rumped Vulture,

Bengal Florican, etc.

The park is also rich in flora. There are

four main types of vegetation in the park—

grasslands, woodlands, deciduous forests,

and semi-evergreen forests. The park is

famous for wild shrubs and grasses

including the tall elephant grass,

sugarcane, and spear grass.

Some prominent trees are Kumbhi, Cotton

Tree, and Elephant Apple.

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SPOTTING THE RHINO…………..

All said and done, Kaziranga is most famous for the cute, fat rhino. See if

you can pass the maze game and reach the rhino.

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THAT’S WHERE YOU START

SOME INTERESTING FACTS……………….

A documentary film has also been made on Kaziranga. The film directed and

produced by Robin Banerjee, a photographer and filmmaker.

The famous American Science Fiction and fantasy author, L. Sprague de

Camp, wrote a poem on the park. The tile of the poem was ‘Kaziranga, Assam.’

Renowned Assamese singer, Bhupen Hazarika, has mentioned the Kaziranga

National Park in one of his songs.

Mark Shand, famous conservationist and travel writer, wrote a book on the

first female mahout (elephant rider) of Kaziranga. This book was also made

into a documentary film titled ‘Queen of the Elephants.’

Complete the sentences……………….

1. Kaziranga is dear to me because------------------------------------------------

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2. I love the rhino and its horn because------------------------------------------

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3. Poaching should be prohibited in the park because---------------------------

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Now a little bigger sentence……..

4. If I become a forest official posted in Kaziranga I will----------------------

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POOR RHINO……….KILLED FOR ITS

HORN

In the 19th and 20th centuries the Indian

rhinoceros was hunted and killed mercilessly.

It was in the early 20th Century that authorities became concerned about

the fate of the poor rhino. In 1910 all rhino hunting in India was banned.

Because of strict laws and regulations enforced by the government the

number of rhino’s has increased from around 100 in the 1900s to around

2500 in 2000. However, the Indian rhinoceros is still an endangered animal.

Illegal poaching and hunting still continues. Rhinos are killed mainly for their

horn, which is used for making traditional medicines in many countries.

Another threat to the poor rhino is loss of habitat.

The Indian government is taking steps towards conservation and

preservation of the rhinoceros which is truly a treasure for India.

Organizations like the World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF) are also

making efforts to save the Indian rhinoceros.

Do you know? The official state animal

of Assam is the Indian rhinoceros. It is

an important symbol of the state.

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YOU ARE THE MAHOUT………….

Imagine yourself to be a Mahout

who takes tourists around in the

park. What kind of information

would you give the tourists? What

all would you tell them about the

park? Pen down your thoughts here

THE ELEPHANT SAFARI………..

Kaziranga is a popular tourist destination.

People from India and across the world visit

the park. The Elephant Safari of Kaziranga is

very famous. This is, in fact, a popular mode

of transport within the park. The other

important mode of transport is jeep. Visitors

are also allowed to go in their own vehicles

provided they are accompanied by guides.

One can spot herds of Indian elephants, one-

horned rhinos, and many other animals from a

close distance. The park remains closed

during the monsoon season, that is, from

mid-April to mid-October. A recent survey

showed that most people visited the park to

sight the Great Indian One-horned Rhino.

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ON THE LIST…….

UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITES IN INDIA

The Kaziranga National Park was included in the UNESCO World Heritage

Sites List in the year 1985. The park was added to the list because of the

following reasons:

• It is an outstanding example which represents important ecological

and biological processes in the development of ecosystems—

terrestrial, fresh water, and coastal. It is also a fine example of

similar processes in the communities of plants and animals.

• It contains important and significant natural habitats for conservation

of biological diversity.

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