Kaziranga National Park is a national park in the Golaghat and Nagaon districts of Assam, India. It is a World Heritage Site, and two-thirds of the world's Great One- horned Rhinoceroses live in the park
Kaziranga has the highest density of tigers among protected areas in the world and was declared a Tiger Reserve in 2006. The park has large breeding populations of elephants, water buffalo and swamp deer. Kaziranga is recognised as an Important Bird Area by Birdlife International for conservation of avifaunal species. The park has achieved notable success in wildlife conservation compared to other protected areas in India. Located on the edge of the Eastern Himalaya biodiversity hotspot, the park combines high-species diversity and visibility.
Kaziranga is one of the oldest National parks in India and it is the largest habitat for
Indian single horned rhinos
The history of Kaziranga as a protected area can be traced back to 1904, when Mary
Victoria Leiter, the wife of the Viceroy of India, Lord Curzon, visited the area. After
failing to spot a rhinoceros, for which the area was renowned, she persuaded her
usband to take urgent measures to protect the dwindling species.On June 1, 1905,
the Kaziranga Proposed Reserve Forest was created with an area of 232 km² (90 sq
mi).
According to one legend, a girl named Ranga, from a nearby village, and a youth
named Kazi, from Karbi Anglong, fell in love. This match was not acceptable to their
families, and the couple disappeared into the forest, never to be seen again. The
forest was then named after them. According to another legend, Srimanta
Sankardeva, the 16th century Vaisnava saint-scholar, once blessed a childless
couple, Kazi and Rangai, and asked them to dig a big pond in the region so that their
name would live on. Testimony to the history of the name can be found in some
records, which state that once, while the Ahom king Pratap Singha (17th century)
was passing by the region, he was particularly impressed by the taste of fish and on
inquiry, he was told it came from Kaziranga.
FLORA AND FAUNA
Kaziranga contains significant breeding populations of 35 mammalian species,of
which 15 are threatened as per the IUCN Red List. The park has the distinction of
being home to the world's largest population of the Great Indian One-Horned
Rhinoceros (1,855), Wild Asiatic Water Buffalo (1,666) and Eastern Swamp Deer
(468). Significant populations of large herbivores include elephants (1,940),
gaur and sambar . Small herbivores include the Indian Muntjac, wild boar and hog
deer.
Kaziranga is one of the few wild breeding areas outside Africa for multiple species of
large cats such as Indian Tigers and Leopards.
Small mammals include the rare Hispid Hare, Indian Gray Mongoose, Small Indian Mongooses, Large Indian Civet, Small Indian Civets, Bengal Fox, Golden Jackal, Sloth Bear, Chinese Pangolin, Indian Pangolins, Hog Badger, Chinese Ferret Badgers and Particolored flying squirrels.
Kaziranga has been identified by Birdlife International as an Important Bird Area. It is
home to a variety of migratory birds, water birds, predators, scavengers and game
birds. Birds such as the Lesser White-fronted Goose, Ferruginous Duck, Baer's
Pochard duck and Lesser Adjutant, Greater Adjutant, Black-necked Stork and Asian
Openbill stork migrate from Central Asia to the park during winter. Riverine birds
include the Blyth's Kingfisher, White-bellied Heron, Dalmatian Pelican, Spot-billed
Pelican, Spotted Greenshank and Black-bellied Tern.:p.10 Birds of prey include the
rare Eastern Imperial, Greater Spotted, White-tailed, Pallas's Fish Eagle, Grey-
headed Fish Eagle, and the Lesser Kestrel.
Four main types of vegetation types exist in the park. These are alluvial inundated grasslands, alluvial savanna woodlands, tropical moist mixed deciduous forests and tropical semi-evergreen forests. Based on Landsat data for 1986, percent coverage by vegetation is: tall grasses 41%, short grasses 11%, open jungle 29%, swamps 4%, rivers and water bodies 8%, and sand 6%.
Annual flooding, grazing by herbivores and controlled burning maintains and fertilizes the grasslands and reeds. Common tall grasses are sugarcanes, spear grass, Elephant Grass and the Common Reed. Numerous forbs are present along with the grasses. Amidst the grasses, providing cover and shade are scattered trees—dominant species including Kumbhi, Indian gooseberry, the cotton tree (in savanna woodlands), and Elephant apple (in inundated grasslands).
Thick evergreen forests, near the Kanchanjhuri, Panbari and Tamulipathar blocks,
contain trees such as Aphanamixis polystachya, Talauma hodgsonii, Dillenia indica,
Garcinia tinctoria, Ficus rumphii, Cinnamomum bejolghota, and species of
Syzygium. Tropical semi-evergreen forests are present near Baguri, Bimali and
Haldibari. Common trees and shrubs are Albizia procera, Duabanga grandiflora,
Lagerstroemia speciosa, Crateva unilocularis, Sterculia urens, Grewia serrulata,
Mallotus philippensis, Bridelia retusa, Aphania rubra, Leea indica and Leea
umbraculifera.
HOW TO REACH
By Bus form Guwahati, Jorhat, Nawgaon, Dibrugarh or Tinsukia. Get down at Kohora in Guwahat-Jorhat route. Bus fare varies between private service and Government service.
Nearest airport is in Jorhat town, which is 96 Kms away from Kaziranga. Jorhat is connected to Kolkata, Delhi and Guwahati by regular flights.
The nearest railway station to Kaziranga is Furkating, which is 80 Kms away. Furkating is connected by trains from Delhi and Kolkata.
