In the midst of devastating floods in Assam, Kaziranga National Park has reported the death of 137 wild animals, including six rhinos. The park authorities have managed to rescue 99 animals, among them two rhino calves and two elephant calves.
Sonali Ghosh, the field director of Kaziranga National Park, provided a breakdown of the casualties: “104 hog deer, 6 rhinos, and 2 sambar drowned in the floodwaters, while 2 hog deer were hit by vehicles, one otter pup died due to other reasons, and 22 animals died under care.”
The rescue efforts have been commendable, with authorities saving 99 animals, including 84 hog deer, 3 swamp deer, and 2 sambar. However, the park’s challenges persist, as 70 out of its 233 forest camps remain underwater.
The flood situation in Assam has turned increasingly grim, with six more fatalities reported on Monday, bringing the total death toll to 72 as of July 8, 2024. Over 27.74 lakh people across 28 districts are still affected by the floods. The impacted districts include Goalpara, Nagaon, Nalbari, Kamrup, Morigaon, Dibrugarh, Sonitpur, Lakhimpur, South Salmara, Dhubri, Jorhat, Charaideo, Hojai, Karimganj, Sivasagar, Bongaigaon, Barpeta, Dhemaji, Hailakandi, Golaghat, Darrang, Biswanath, Cachar, Kamrup (M), Tinsukia, Karbi Anglong, Chirang, Karbi Anglong West, and Majuli.
Rescue operations are ongoing, with teams from the NDRF, SDRF, Fire & Emergency Services, local administration, Indian Army, and paramilitary forces working tirelessly across the state. The floods have caused significant loss of life, extensive damage to infrastructure, road closures, crop destruction, and livestock loss, leaving hundreds homeless and unsettled.
Sources By Agencies