Where the Wild Things Are

But even the elusive tiger can’t steal the show from Kaziranga’s main attraction — the Indian one-horned rhinoceros. They were a little over 100 around the 1900s, a number that has grown to over 3,000 individuals today, through dedicated conservation efforts. Almost 2,000 of these live in Kaziranga alone.

On our first visit last year, we worried about whether we would get to see the famous animals up close. But we were not disappointed. Our first rhino sighting happened even before we entered the park! An elephant ride into the park  the next morning was unbelievable. We literally moved among the animals, looking down at them from atop the elephant. We sat peacefully in the morning mist, watching a baby rhino cuddle up to its mother. An unforgettable, truly moving experience.

It’s not just the rhinos. Kaziranga is an important habitat for a surprising number of endangered large mammals — the Asiatic Buffalo (over 60 per cent of the world population live in Kaziranga), the small hog deer that are now limited to the Himalayan foothills and the swamp deer or barasingha, whose distinctive antlers can have more than 12 points despite what the name suggests. It is also a designated important bird area by Bird Life International, with almost 500 bird species, including several rare species of geese, ducks, riverine birds and migratory species.
As a researcher-conservationist, who grew up on the edge of the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve in the Nilgiris, I’m used to telling people that forests are not zoos, that they can’t just expect to drive in, see the animals and drive out. But Kaziranga is something else. You really can just drive in, see most animal species and drive out. They exist at much higher densities than most other parts of the earth. What makes this place unique and incredibly fertile is, of course, the Brahmaputra.

The mighty river flows around the northern end of the park. Every monsoon, it deposits large amounts of fertile silt in different places, and keeps it well irrigated throughout the year. The phenomenal number of animals, all grazing and manuring the park, also act as a nutrient pump. In addition to the Brahmaputra, three smaller rivers flow through the park: the Diphlu, Mora Diphlu and Mora Dhansiri. There are numerous flood-formed lakes or bheels sprinkled across the park, amid a series of saucer-shaped patches of high ground called chaporis (many of which were artificially created) that act as a refuge for animals during  the floods.

Kaziranga was first notified as a reserved forest in 1905, mostly due to the efforts of Lady Curzon. The story goes that she visited the park with her husband, and was very upset not to see any rhinos. So she lobbied for their protection, officially making it a reserved forest in 1908, with an area of 232 sq km. From there it has come a long way — it became a game sanctuary in 1916, a wildlife sanctuary in 1950, a national park in 1974, a World Heritage Site in 1985, an elephant reserve in 2003 and, most recently, a tiger reserve in 2007, with a total area of 1,002 sq km.
The spectacular rise in rhino numbers has an interesting side story. As the population began to recover, ecologists thought the “carrying capacity” of the park was about 1,000, and set that as a target for recovery. No one told the rhinos though, and their population has long crossed the target figure. The animal life in Kaziranga now poses a serious question to the very concept of a carrying capacity, with rhino numbers past 2,000 and still rising.

But it is not entirely rosy. With people settling all around the park, the traditional shifting deposits of silt that kept moving the grasslands around is no longer possible. The park is now boxed in. More importantly, with periodic flooding, animals need to disperse to the surrounding areas to survive, with the Karbi Anglong Hills to the south being the key refuge. This region, unfortunately, is also frequented by poachers, and most of the rhino poaching cases are being reported from there. The national highway running along the south of the park is also getting more and more crowded, cutting off the Karbi Anglong escape route, tragically and destructively, bringing urbanisation right up to the edge of the park.

Despite all the challenges, Kaziranga is one of the most incredible places on earth, and well worth a visit for any wildlife enthusiast or naturalist. In no other Indian reserve can you see so many animals in one place. No other park in India allows you such a glimpse of paradise. n
Tarsh Thekaekara is a biodiversity conservationist based in the Nilgiris