Guwahati, (Asian independent) After four months of closure, the Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve (KNPTR) will reopen partially for tourists on Sunday.
KNPTR Director Jatin Sharma said that like previous years, the park remained closed during the four-month monsoon period (June to September) as the monsoon floods submerge vast areas of the animal habitats and other forest and park areas.
“In view of the present road conditions and keeping in mind the inclement weather, the park would be partially opened only for jeep safari in two ranges — Kaziranga Range (Kohora) and Western Range (Bagori),” Sharma told IANS.
He said that tourists would be allowed to travel up to Bimoli Tiniali via Donga tower under Western Range (Bagori) and from Mihimukh via Daflang tower to Vaichamari Junction under Kaziranga Range (Kohora) till further a decision is made.
While the annual floods in Assam claim hundreds of human lives besides damaging crops, infrastructure and assets, animals too are not spared in the KNPTR, home to more than 2,600 Indian rhinos.
To protect the wild animals from the fury of floods, the forest and wildlife department of Assam has taken a series of measures, including constructing man-made highlands in KNPTR and other national parks and wildlife sanctuaries in the state.
Sharma said the park has a total of 144 man-made, scientifically-designed highlands, including 33 big ones, for housing animals during floods.
The KNPTR, which is spread across five districts of Assam — Golaghat, Nagaon, Sonitpur, Biswanath and Karbi Anglong — is not just home to rhinos, but also to tigers, elephants, wild buffalos and many more animal species. It also has thousands of birds of over 125 species.
