KAZIRANGA NATIONAL PARK
Kaziranga National Park, the
heaven for the wildlife lovers, situated in the district of Golaghat and Nagaon
of Assam, North East India. It fells under the Eastern Himalayan biodiversity
hotspots comprising of huge biodiversity and a vast ecosystem with numbers of
beautiful species of flora and fauna. The distance from Guwahati is 138 km. The
37 no. The national highway goes through this place, so it is easy to reach via
bus. It is famous for its one-horned rhinoceros and tiger reserve. The area of
this sanctuary is 430 sq km.
HISTORY OF KAZIRANGA NATIONAL PARK:
It was established in 1908 on the
recommendation of Mary Curzon, wife of Viceroy of India- Lord Curzon. There is
a beautiful story behind its formation which can give an inspiration to the
people of nature to take small steps for our mother earth. In 1904, Lord Curzon
and his wife Mary Curzon visited there to watch one-horned rhinoceros in this
place. But she couldn't spot a single rhinoceros. This made her very
disappointed. Later, she forces her
husband to protect this land for one-horned rhinoceros to conserve this
endangered species from extinction. In 1905, Lord Curzon declared it as a
proposed reserved forest, and later in 1908, it was declared as reserved forest
to protect the species of one-horned rhinoceros and soon it became a tiger
hotspot of India too. In 1916, it was named as Kaziranga Game Sanctuary and
later in 1950, it got the name Kaziranga Wildlife Sanctuary. In 1968, the area
was expanded to the present area 430 sq km. It was declared as World Heritage Site
by UNESCO in 1985 glorifying its value and amusement. It is also recognized as
an Important Bird Area(IBA) making it a paradise for bird lovers.
FLORA :
Nature has many ways to amaze
humans. Either through its creation or by herself. The only thing we have to
do is love her and conserve her. This wildlife sanctuary is also a true example
of nature. It has diverse green trees and small bushes all over her body. The
elephant grass, marshlands, and such types of small grasses cover a major part
of the area. The presence of Brahmaputra river and it's amazing view makes it more
mesmerizing. The altitude of the eastern and western areas of the park is different,
so there is a variety of plants in its different parts. We can see four types
of vegetation there- alluvial inundated grasslands, alluvial Savanna woodlands,
tropical moist forests, tropical evergreen forests. The Indian gooseberry and elephant apple are
commonly found plants all over the park. The ripe Gooseberries attract the
monkies. The park comprises many water bodies making it a place for the
water plants, birds and animals too. The water lilies, water hyacinth, water lotus found in those water bodies
make the scenery more beautiful and serene.
ANIMALS:
The sanctuary mainly attracted
the visitors for it's one Horned Rhinoceros. The largest population of the world
of this species is found in there. There is almost 2200 number of rhinoceros
found there giving its immense glory and pride. This number is
approximately 2/3 rd of the world's
population of one Horned Rhinoceros. Western zone is the best for spotting
tigers and rhinoceros. Besides this species, the other four species helping
this sanctuary to intensify its pride are tigers, elephants, swamp deer, and
water buffaloes. There are around 105 tigers in Kaziranga. In 2014, it was
only 83 in number, but later management and proper conservation make the
number crossing century. It was declared as a tiger reserve in 2006 to make
better conservation of tigers. Though it is very hard to spot tigers by the
visitors because of the tall grasses, their presence is often felt. If you
really wanna see them, then having a stroke of good luck is mandatory.
The forest is not only a habitat
of only above five species. There are numerous small and big species of mammals
and reptiles also present there which are easily spotted by the visitors. Some
of them are- Hollock Gibbon, Leopard, Sloth Bear, Indian Wild Boar (Sus
Scrofa), Eastern Mole (Talpa Microra), Pangolin, Indian Gaur, Sambar, Barking
Deer, Hog Deer, Leaf Monkey or Capped Langur, Rhesus Macaque, Assamese Macaque,
Indian Porcupine, Fishing cat, Jungle cat, Large Indian Civet, Small Indian
Civet, Mongoose, Bengal Fox, Golden Jackel, Common Otter, Chinese Ferret
Badger, Black Beer, various species of Bats, etc.
The three types of reptiles found
there are- turtles or tortoises, Lizards, and Snakes. The main species of
turtles and tortoises are as follows- Assam Roofed Turtle, Indian Flapshap
Turtle, Keeled Box Turtle, Indian Tent Turtle, Brown Hill Tortoise, Indian Eyed
Turtle, Brown Roofed Turtle, etc. The
main species of Lizards are as follows -
Indian Water monitor, Common Indian Skink, Tuckto Gecko, Assam Garden
Lizard, Dotted Garden Skink, Light Olive Assam Garden Lizard, etc. The main
species of snakes spotted are as follows-
Bengal Cobra, Rat snake, King Cobra, Rock Python, Reticulated Python,
Common Krait, Banded Krait, Black Krait, Russel's Viper, Pit Viper, Common
Kukri Snake, Striped Jeelback, etc. Some of them are very dangerous and some of
them are just innocent and sweet. But until you disturb their life, nobody is
going to harm you anyhow. Many types of crocodiles are also found in the
wastelands. These wastelands are also home of Ganges and Indus river dolphins.
BIRDS:
This is a bird's paradise. Many
types of rare and migratory birds are found here chirruping and flying all over
the place. Imagine a scene with blue sky, green forests and the melodious songs
of birds. You can have this image in real in Kaziranga National park. The
beautiful birds found there are as follows- gray pelicans roost, White-fronted goose, Cotton Pygmy Goose, Bar
Headed Goose, Greylag Goose, ferruginous duck, Pochard duck, Spot-Billed Duck,
lesser adjutant, greater adjutant, black-necked stork, Fulvous Breasted
Woodpecker, Three-Toed Golden Black Woodpecker, Grey Crowned Woodpecker, Eurasian Wryneck,
Tufted Duck, Asian openbill stork, etc. Some of them are migrated from central
Asia during winter and some of them are endangered species.
MAIN ATTRACTIONS OF KAZIRANGA:
Jeep Safari:
Jeep Safari is
available mainly from November to April. The timing is as follows-
Morning:7 to 9:30
Afternoon:1:30 to 3:30
Elephant Safari: It takes you
inside the park through kahara central road, Mihimukh, Arimarah, Hole Path,
Bagori or western zone. You can directly book ticket in the office there or
some online services are also available for advanced booking. Morning 5:30
to 7:30
ACCOMMODATIONS AND BEST TIME TO VISIT KAZIRANGA:
Near kohora and bagori, there are
many private and government lodges that have comfortable accommodations at an
affordable price. You can also find some home resorts which can give you extra
amusement to your trip because of the beautiful culture and food of local
Assamese people. If you go there, don't miss the ethnic Assamese food. Don't
miss to enjoy the cultural Bihu Dance and the nearby picnic spots filling with
the unimaginable beauty of nature.
The best time to visit is
November to April. It remains open from 1st November to 30th April.Due to
heavy rainfall of around 2220 mm during monsoon season, it gets flooded and not
suitable for a visit from July to August.
NEARBY PLACE: THE ORCHID PARK
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| Image source : naturehunttours.com |
If you love flowers, then this is
the best place for you. There are numerous species of orchids are found in
this Orchid Park. This is known as Kaziranga National Orchid and biodiversity
Park. This is just 2 km away from Kohora in Durgapur Village comprising an area
of 6 acres. There are almost 500 different species of orchids are found there.
Apart from this, 132 species of sour fruits and leafy vegetables, 46 species of
bamboo, 12 species of cane, and many other varieties of plants are found there.
This is the Largest Orchid Park in North East India. Visiting this park can
give you a vast knowledge of orchids and their varieties.
FIVE POINTS FROM MY SIDE ( PLEASE
DON'T SKIP IT)
- · Our nature is collapsing abruptly because of our own activities. So, try as much as you can to conserve this nature. The best time is 'now'.
- Don't throw polythenes and plastic bottles into the habitats of wildlife. If possible, don't throw it anywhere, just recycle or reuse it. And the best thing to do is don't use plastics.
- · Plant as many plants as you can.
- · Try to use limited lands for your own activities, let your private property to be a beautiful small forest. You can have a virtual experience of being in a big forest in your own home.
- · Let this earth to be a home of both humans and animals. Remember that the earth is surviving because of a cycle where all animals, birds, and plants are also involved. If one disappears, the other can't live.
1 Comments
Great post and thanks for sharing this information. To spot rhinos and many other wildlife we offer kaziranga safari booking.
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