Day 5
Today we had a full day in Kaziranga National Park, but that meant a very early start. The temple bell rang on the corridors at 04:15. Since there is no PA System on the ship … the temple bell is the preferred choice to call the guests for an excursion. We had some coffee and snacks in the salon and at 05:00 we departed with our mini busses to the park.
Until recently we did an Elephant Ride as our second safari. Since the Elephants are only allowed to work in the morning for a maximum of 3 one-hour rides with tourists, the Elephant safaris started very early with or even before sunrise. We were most of the time on the second ride starting 06:30 and had to arrive at the elephant embarking platform well before that. Do not forget … we had to stop for a technical break before going on safari … there are no toilets available in the park …
This morning, we were not scheduled for an Elephant Ride … the company had taken it out of the programm … I shall come to this later on … nevertheless we had an early start as well. We stopped on the way looking for birds and watched the sunrise over rice paddies. The Full Moon was still up over the trees.
We had breakfast at the brandnew Lahèke Chai Café at Diphlu Lodge before continuing to the central range of the national park. Breakfast was good and they had suitable facilities …
On the way to Kohora Gate we passed another view point. For the first time I saw the Himalayan Mountain Range from here in the distance … the snowy peaks basked in the early morning sun. When I mentioned it to Mohan, he just laughed at me … Yeah, you have never been here this time of the year! Only after the monsoon when the clouds are gone, the peaks are visible. It is November! Before you only ever did this tour in January, February or March … when you cannot see the mountains …
At the view point we also watched a solitary wild Water Buffalo having his breakfast. Older males are often roaming alone away from the family clans. This one watched us from afar and then trotted off.
A Grey-Headed Fisheagle was perched on a tree nearby and we observed it fishing. It must have been watching from his look out and then it dove down from the tree and grabbed a catfish out of the swamp right in front of our eyes. That was something!
Flashback to my previous cruises – Our Elephant Ride used to be in the central range of Kaziranga National Park and started near Kohora Gate. There are 2 Elephant embarking towers – one is right next to the gate and the other one further in the buffer zone. The first safari starts near the gate and ends at the other tower, while the second safari goes the other way … or vice versa … depending of the day.
From the park gate we had to take jeeps to the embarking tower – it was too far to walk and anyway, it is not allowed to walk in the park. Once when we did this Elephant Ride, it was totally foggy early in the morning. The Elephants were already saddled up and waiting for us. They can – depending on the age and size of the Elephant – carry 2 to 3 tourists plus their Mahout. The riders sit astride each Elephant on a long saddle – rather than sitting sideways on a tabletop like in Thailand for example – a style found only in Assam.
Another time we started out in early morning sunshine. Often the riding Elephants are females and their babies walk alongside the group running free but stay together and close to their mothers.
Recently the company has taken the Elephant Ride out of the programm due to ethical reasons. Nearly one in three Asian Elephants live in captivity – about 16000 in all Asia – approx 4000 in India. The existence of such large captive population of this endangered, intelligent and long-living animal poses of course a number of ethical and practical challenges, but also some opportunities in conservation.
Asian Elephants, like most land-based megafauna, are endangered and might not survive in the wild beyond the 21st century. As the largest terrestrial animals, Elephants are very important for the health of tropical ecosystems – they are like forest gardeners who plant, fertilise and prune trees.
The question is – is it ethical to keep Elephants in captivity? I think, we have no alternative. All those thousands of captive Elephants in Asia can simply not be released into the wild … Living in captivity deeply changes their behaviour. It breaks their social ties and makes them lose their natural fear of people – humans therefore need to take care of those Elephants currently in captivity and costs of maintenance are increasing … With the loss of their traditional jobs in forestry and transport, most captive Elephants in Asia have joined the ecotourism industry. If it is ethical to – for example – take part in an Elephant Ride is another dilemma and totally depends on the situation.
Elephants were domesticated in the early days mostly for military purposes. The use of war Elephants has been recorded in the military history of India from the famous battle between Alexander the Great and King Porus, ruler of Punjab, on the banks of the Jhelum in 326 BC to the war of Shakkar Khera in 1724 AD. The British put Elephants to use to mobilize their resources in northeastern India against the Japanese during WW II. The main roles of captive Elephants in the past were those of the animal equivalent of tanks and tractors …
In the early 20th century large numbers of Elephants had been used for timber extraction in many parts of Asia. Logging was a major form of employment for Elephants. Their ability to work under instruction makes them particularly useful for carrying heavy objects. They have been used particularly for timber-carrying in jungle areas. Capture of wild Elephants has been banned in India since 1982 and the heavy timber work has been taken over by the use of machinery. The same purpose however – their ability to travel over difficult terrain and serving as mobile platforms like for hunters before – is met in safaris in modern times.
I do believe the domesticated Elephants here in the national park have a much better life than those that carry tourists up the steep hill to Amber Fort in Rajasthan, for example. There they have to walk up on a cobble stoned street in blazing sunshine upto 3 times every morning between 09:00 and 11:30. At least down they walk without tourists … I do believe the Elephants in Amber – when they are not working – are kept in sheds and/or bound by chains that can be so tight that they barely allow any movement. I would never ever get on an Elephant in Amber for a ride up the Fort and I am happy this had never been an option during our tours. There are petitions against it as well …
And then there are the Temple Elephants in South India … One of them is Lakshmi – the star-attraction of the Virupaksha Temple in Hampi. I visited Hampi in 2017 and met her under not-so-happy circumstances inside the temple – she stood inside a pavilion clearly too small for her and was blessing a never-ending line of delighted devotees with her tired trunk. Lakshmi is holy. According to the many Hindus who visit the temple daily, she is a living incarnation of Lord Ganesha. She has a permanent full-time job in the temple – with a few months off in summer to roam free in a jungle camp.
The Elephants here in the park at least do not have to walk or stand all day on concrete floors and can roam fairly freely in the vicinity of the camps and get only chained up in the night for safety reasons … There are Tigers in the park … The Elephants do not mind the Wild Boars sharing their dinner either …
After the last tourist ride in the early morning – that is usually around 08:30 – the heavy saddles get taken off and some Elephants are so happy about it that they grab their chain – that is not around their foot during the rides – and carry it in their mouth not needing encouragement to happily walk off to roam.
Most domesticated Elephants closely approach wild elephants in physical fitness, understanding of terrain, knowledge of food types and where to find them. They need neither to be psychologically acclimatized to the forest nor physically acclimatized to steep hillsides – they do not need to be taught how to avoid poisonous plants or how to use their trunks to gather their own food.
Elephants are classified as megaherbivores and consume up to 150 kg of plant matter per day. They are generalist feeders and both grazers and browsers. A domesticated Elephants needs to eat as well … they have to earn their keep somehow. Most of the Elephants in captivity will survive for a few more decades – the average lifespan of an Asian Elephant is a hearty 60 years – reports have it that female captive Elephants have lived beyond 60 years when kept in semi-natural surroundings such as forest camps – appropriate care for them has to be provided … Here they earn their keep doing a max of 3 rounds of safaris in the buffer zone every morning …
Well, I always enjoyed the Elephant Ride, because the Elephants can get much closer to the Rhinos, Deer and Buffalos we encountered in the buffer zone. They say, the smell of the Elephant disguises the smell of the tourists, so the other animals cannot smell us … and Elephants are rather big and definitely not as noisy as the jeeps …
Sure enough only a few minutes into our wobbly ride we spotted the first One-Horned Rhinos in the fog. They are mainly solitary, except for females with small calves. Females become sexually mature at 5-7 years old, while males mature at about 10. Breeding occurs throughout the year, with a gestation period of 15-16 months. The single offspring remains with the mother until the birth of her next calf – usually after 1-3 years.
A mother and her calf were grazing peacefully. The Rhino is primarily a grazer. Its diet consists almost entirely of grasses, but it also eats leaves, branches, fruit and aquatic plants. They eat on average 1% of their body weight daily and are known to swim for their food.
This morning we did not see them swimming, there are no swamps in the buffer zone here. The Mahouts led the Elephants only in a general direction, but did not follow any strict path. The grassland however was crisscrossed by many animal tracks. Not only Rhinos tend to use the same paths regularly.
There were more mothers and calves around. From our high perch on the Elephant we had a good view over the grassland. Whenever a Mahout spotted something he gave a signal to the others and the Elephants kind of circled around the Rhino on 2 sides to have a closer look. Always giving the Rhino ample space to move away.
We also observed a single male Rhino out in the open. He was obviously on the way to his special Rhino facilities …
Rhino dung heaps we had seen already yesterday along the tracks we passed during our jeep safari. They serve as communication points and mark territorial boundaries. Several animals often defecate at the same spot. Such a dung heap can become up to 5 m wide and 1 m high. After defecating, One-Horned Rhinos scratch their hind feet in the dung. Adult males can urinate backwards as far as 3-4 m behind them often in response to being disturbed by whatever. Fortunately, we did not observe that part …
By continuing to walk, they transport their own smell around the paths, thus establishing a scent-marked trail that is claimed by the Rhino in question. This one trotted away with its head held high not giving us a second glance.
Slowly the fog was lifting and the sun came out. The scenery was dipped in the golden morning sun and a herd of Swamp Deer – also called Barasingha – Rucervus Duvaucelii – were rummaging in the grassland.
In the 19th century, Swamp Deer ranged along the base of the Himalayas throughout India. In the 1960s, the total population was estimated at 1600 to less than 2150 individuals in the country. Today, the distribution is much reduced and fragmented following unregulated hunting and conversion of large tracts of grassland to cropland. Only a few survive in Assam’s Kaziranga and Manas National Parks.
Three subspecies are currently recognized – Western Swamp Deer with habitat in the Indo-Gangetic plain, Southern Swamp Deer surviving only in the Kanha National Park in Madhya Pradesh, where the population numbered 750 in 2016, and Eastern Swamp Deer only found in Assam, where the population numbered – according to an estimation of 2018 – approx 907 individuals.
Swamp Deer are mainly grazers largely feeding on grasses and aquatic plants throughout the day. The herds comprise on average about 8-20 individuals, with large herds of up to 60. There are twice as many females than males.
The populations outside protected areas and seasonally migrating populations are threatened by poaching for antlers and meat, which are sold in local markets. The Swamp Deer lost most of its former range because wetlands were converted and used for agriculture. The remaining habitat in protected areas is threatened by the change in river dynamics, reduced water flow during summer and increasing siltation.
The Swamp Deer differs from all other Indian deer species in that the antlers carry more than 3 tines. Because of this distinctive character it is designated bārah-singgā – meaning twelve-horned in Hindustani. Mature stags usually have 10 to 14 tines and some have been known to have up to 20.
They were not in the least bothered by the Elephants with the tourists coming close. They did watch us for a while, but soon returned their attention too the more important mission of grazing … food is crucial for survival …
Of course we encountered more Rhinos as well. Mothers with their calves seem to like this zone very much. They tried to hide in the high grasses, but we found them anyway.
Males have loosely defined territories where they live alone, but territories change according to food availability in relation to the current season. A Rhino consumes about 40 kg of vegetation a day. The females can move in and out of these territories as they like. If food is abundant within an area, it is not unusual to see several animals all grazing close together.
Indian Rhinos were hunted in the late 1800s and early 1900s relentlessly and persistently. Reports from the middle of the 19th century claim that some military officers in Assam individually shot more than 200 Rhinos. The history of Kaziranga as a protected area can be traced back to 1904, when Mary Curzon, the wife of the Viceroy of India, Lord Curzon of Kedleston, visited the area. After failing to see a single Rhinoceros, for which the area was renowned, she persuaded her husband to take urgent measures to protect the dwindling species which he did by initiating the planning for their protection. In 1905 the Kaziranga Proposed Reserve Forest was created with an initial area of 232 km².
Over the next years, the park area was extended to the banks of the Brahmaputra River and in 1908 Kaziranga was designated a Reserve Forest. By then the Rhino population in Kaziranga had decreased to around 12 individuals. In the early 1900s the species had declined to near extinction.
The 1916 named Kaziranga Game Sanctuary became the Kaziranga Wildlife Sanctuary in 1950. In 1954, the government of Assam passed the Assam Rhinoceros Bill which imposed heavy penalties for Rhinoceros poaching. Kaziranga was declared a National Park in 1968 and was given official status by the central government in 1974. Since 1985 Kaziranga is a declared World Heritage Site by UNESCO for its unique natural environment. Since then the Indian and Nepalese governments have taken major steps towards Indian Rhinoceros conservation, especially with the help of the World Wide Fund for Nature and other non-governmental organisations. An 2018 estimate puts the number of One-Horned Rhinos in Kaziranga National Park at approx 2400.
Female Rhinos are largely solitary when they are without calves. However mothers will stay close to their calves for up to 4 years after their birth, sometimes allowing an older calf to continue to accompany her once a newborn calf arrives. Subadult males and females form consistent groupings, as well. Groups of 2 or 3 young males will often form on the edge of the home ranges of dominant males, presumably for protection in numbers. Young females are slightly less social than the males.
Rhinos make a wide variety of vocalisations. Apparently at least 10 distinct vocalisations have been identified by researchers – snorting, honking, bleating, roaring, squeak-panting, moo-grunting, shrieking, groaning, rumbling and humphing. Once one of the Elephants or their accompanying baby got too close to a grazing Rhino and her calf … There was definitely much grunting going on then … on both sides … the Elephants were as vocal as the Rhino … and the ranger who was riding along on one of the Elephants immediately got his gun ready … just in case …
But there was no need to interfere. The Elephants moved away in one direction and the Rhinos trotted off into the other direction … peacefully after some sort of communication between them … At least that was how it seemed …
Later we watched a young Baby Rhino with its mother. It sure seemed hungry and not at all concerned with the watching tourists … or Elephants …
Leaving the Rhinos in the grassland our Elephants sauntered towards some open pastures.
The guides hat spotted a family of wild Water Buffalo. The wild Water Buffalo – Bubalus Arnee – has been listed as Endangered since 1986 with the global population estimated at 3400 individuals of which 3100 live in India – mostly in Assam – with an approx 1900 individuals in Kaziranga National Park. Adult females and their young form stable clans of up to 30 individuals which have large home ranges including areas for resting, grazing, wallowing and drinking. Clans are led by old cows, even when bulls accompany the group. The maximum known lifespan is 25 years in the wild.
The one hour of our Elephant Ride flew by and before we knew it we were on the way back to the Elephant embarking platform. The Baby Elephants clearly happy playing along.
When we got off at the platform, the Elephants were relieved of their saddles and of course we had baksheesh for them as well … while we had been on this safari, Mohan had organized a big bunch of bananas for them. And they sure knew what to expect … even before their saddles were off their trunks were feeling over the rail for the treat …
The distinctive trunk is an elongation of the nose and upper lip combined – the nostrils are at its tip, which has a one finger-like process. The trunk contains as many as 60000 muscles! It is a multipurpose prehensile organ and highly sensitive. Elephants use their trunks for breathing, watering, feeding, touching, dusting, sound production and communication, washing, pinching, grasping, defence and offence. It gives them the ability to hold and manipulate loads of up to 300 kg.
Back to today … After breakfast we reached the Kohora Gate for our Gypsy Safari in the Central Range for Kaziranga National Park. Our safari started at 07:30 – the sun was already up high in the sky … it was a bit too late to start a safari for my liking … but the gate did not open before that. That might or might not have to do with the Elephant Rides that are still being conducted for interested tourists in the early morning … Maybe not … maybe it is just because …
Anyway, it was already sunny with blue sky and the first bird we spotted was a Rose-Ringed Parakeet – Psittacula Krameri. They have a distinctive green colour and the adult male sports a red and black neck ring. They measure on average 40 cm in length – including the tail feathers – but never seem to be that large when watched from afar. One of the few parrot species that have successfully adapted to living in disturbed habitats, it has withstood the onslaught of urbanisation and deforestation. As a popular pet species, escaped birds have colonised a number of cities around the world, including Northern and Western Europe – a guests told us that they have a colonie of them in public parks in Cologne … These Parakeets have proven themselves capable of living in a variety of climates outside their native range and are able to survive low winter temperatures in Northern Europe. Here they were happily inhabiting the forests of the national park and were in general very noisy …
In one of the lakes a clan of Wild Water Buffalo indulged in their favourite pastime … well, maybe their favourite after feeding … or maybe they are called Water Buffalo for a reason … and they are aptly named for they spend most of their time in water. Their hooves are extra wide and prevent them from sinking into mud at the bottom of ponds, swamps and rivers. The Water Buffalo is never far from water – they can live in grasslands, swamps, lowland floodplains and mixed forest, but they never roam farther than approx 20 km from a body of water.
It was not long until we spotted the first Rhinos as well. Adult males are generally solitary, except for mating and fighting. Males have home ranges of around 2 to 8 km² that often overlap each other. We often count several Rhinos in swampland we can overlook.
In the far distance there was even a large herd of wild Elephant coming out of the thicket to roam in the grassland. Elephants are always feeding …
Around the Rhinos there were the usual Cattle Egrat an well as a flock of Indian Myna – Acridotheres Tristis – starlings native to Asia. An omnivorous open woodland bird with a strong territorial instinct, the Myna has adapted extremely well to urban environments as well. The range of the Common Myna is increasing at such a rapid rate that in 2000 it was declared as one of the world’s most invasive species. Like most starlings, the Myna feeds on insects, arachnids, crustaceans, reptiles, small mammals, seeds, grain and fruits. It forages on the ground among grass for insects, and especially for grasshoppers, from which it gets the generic name Acridotheres – Grasshopper Hunter. It is an opportunistic feeder on the insects disturbed by grazing cattle – and here the Rhinos. They also specialize in riding on Rhinos feeding on external parasites like the fly larvae and ticks and they also peck at open wounds. They eat loose dead skin or peck at existing wounds to promote bleeding and cleaning.
Without doubt there are many insects in forest and grasslands as well. I was not bothered by mosquitos or flies … but our guests were indeed … some are downright paranoid with mosquitos … We stopped at a watch tower again and while there were no large animals to be observed, some dragonflies were around. It was the Slender skimmer – also called Green Marsh Hawk – Orthetrum Sabina – which is widespread. It is a medium-sized dragonfly. Adults are grayish to greenish yellow with black and pale markings and green eyes. Its abdomen is greenish-yellow, marked with black. This one looked stunning close up!
At the shallows of the lake a flock of Ibises was foraging for food. There were a bunch of Glossy Ibis – Plegadis Falcinellus – the most widespread Ibis species breeding in scattered sites in warm regions of Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and the Atlantic and Caribbean. Glossy Ibises undertake dispersal movements after breeding and are highly nomadic with the more northerly populations being fully migratory and travelling on a broad front. They feed in very shallow water and nest in freshwater or brackish wetlands with tall dense stands of emergent vegetation. One lonesome Black-Headed Ibis – Threskiornis Melanocephalus – also known as the Oriental White Ibis or Indian White Ibis – was feeding amonst them. It is the only native Ibis species in its range that has an overall white plumage with a black neck and head. The down-curved beak and legs are also black. Though often referred to as a wetland species, the Black-Headed Ibis forages in a range of habitats. It was noticably larger than the Glossy Ibises.
This safari route is indeed not my favourite … especially not on a morning safari …But …
Flashback to previous cruises … we used to do this route as an afternoon safari after the morning Elephant Ride and it was always rather eventful in terms of animal sightings!
One animal we often encountered was the Indian Hog Deer – Hyelaphus Porcinus – a small deer whose habitat ranges from Pakistan through northern India to mainland southeast Asia. The populations of the Hog Deer have declined by more than 90 % over the past 25 years due to poaching and habitat loss. They are mainly now confined to national parks and reserves. Kaziranga National Park is the stronghold of Hog Deer – with an estimated population of approx 15000 animals. It gets its name from the hog-like manner in which it runs through the forests with its head hung low so that it can duck under obstacles instead of leaping over them like most other deer. Cover is taken as soon as it is feasible.
A mature Hog Deer stag stands approx 70 cm at the shoulder and weighs approx 50 kg. They are very solidly built with a long body and relatively short legs and the line of the back slopes upward from the shoulders to a high rump. The ears are rounded – older animals tend to become light coloured in the face and neck.
Once we watched a female Hog Deer with a suckling fawn. The little one did not really care about the tourists watching from the jeep … the driver had cut the engine for us to watch them for a while.
The coat of the Indian Hog Deer is quite thick and generally a uniform dark-brown in winter except for the underparts of the body and legs which are lighter in colour. During late spring, the change to a summer coat of rich reddish brown commences. The tail is fairly short and brown but tipped with white. The underside of the tail is white and the deer can fan the white hairs out in a distinctive alarm display. During flight, the tail is held erect, showing the white underside.
The antler of a mature Hog Deer stag is typically 3 tined-brow tine. However, antlers with more points are not uncommon. The distinctive features of typical Hog Deer antlers are the acute angle between the brow tine and main beam and the fact that the inner tops tend to be short and angle back from the main beam and across towards the opposite antler.
Then a huge Water Buffalo in the best camouflage stood in the grassland next to the track and eyed us suspiciously … I think, he thought we could not see it in its camouflage …
It proceeded to cross the track in front of our jeeps as well … still camouflaged … still thinking we could not see it …
On the other side of the track a little further on was a swampy lake and a female Buffalo was drinking and then walking along peacefully with her calf.
Later in the forest we came across another massive male Buffalo. He did not look so happy, but did not seemed to be too much concerned with us either. After he gave us a thorough once-over, he trotted off.
A female Sambar Deer watched us intendedly from the bushes as we passed – they are strong and tough animals with a thick hide and coarse hair of a uniform brown colour on the body. The ears are large and round and the inner ear is pale with tufts of longer hair at the base. Sambar are experts at standing completely motionless and it is only an occasional movement of their prominent bat-like ears which sometimes betrays them to an experienced eye.
The swamp, lakes and rivers were a preferred play area for many residents of the national park. We spotted a Wild Boar mother with one of her offspring rummaging in the mud, in the far distance a family of Fish Otter was getting ready to go fishing and some Hog Deer were grazing on the banks in peaceful harmony with a flock of Bar-Headed Geese.
There were plenty of Bar-Headed Geese around in spring, also a pair of the rusty coloured Ruddy Shelduck – known in India as the Brahminy Duck – made an appearance and we had an absolute awesome sighting of a couple of Indian Roofed Turtle basking in the late afternoon sun.
A real highlight on one of those afternoon safaris here was a pair of Great Hornbill – Buceros Bicornis – also known as Great Indian Hornbill – munching away in a huge tree above us. They are so beautiful. Its impressive size and colour have made the Great Hornbill important in many tribal cultures and rituals. It is long-lived and predominantly frugivorous, but is an opportunist and will prey on small mammals, reptiles and birds as well.
The Great Hornbill is a large bird and the most prominent feature of it is the bright yellow and black casque on top of its massive bill. The casque appears U-shaped when viewed from the front, and the top is concave with 2 ridges along the sides that form points in the front, hence the Latin species epithet Bicornis – two-horned. The back of the casque is reddish in females, while the underside of the front and back of the casque is black in males. The casque is hollow and serves no known purpose.
One of the birds flew over us crossing the track to relocate to another tree with more or maybe more delicious fruits. The wing beats were heavy and the sound produced in flight was a very loud woosh-whoosh-whoosh. It could be heard from a distance and has been likened to the puffing of a steam locomotive starting up. The flight involves stiff flaps followed by glides with the fingers splayed and upcurled. I was lucky I had the camara pointed when it took to flight! It was absolutely magnificent!
Of course we saw more One-Horned Rhinos as well. After all here in Kaziranga National Park there live approx 2400 of them … we probably met all of them … or maybe only a quarter of the population … but we met many! Far away and close up … in the grassland … taking a bath or drinking … they were everywhere!
I took so many photos of the Rhinos … I could not even start to decide which photo to keep and which to discard … I kept a lot of them …
Kaziranga National Park is not only a heaven for One-Horned Rhinos, but also a heaven for birds – there are over 550 recorded bird species in the park. A Grey-Headed Fisheagle was perched on a blooming Kapok Tree in the afternoon sun, a Crested-Serpent Eagle sat in a tree observing his surroundings in search of prey and of course we spotted numerous of the White-Throated Kingfisher so common in the region.
Not so often we saw the Red Jungle Fowl – Gallus Gallus. Not that it is not common around here – it just runs away very fast as soon as the jeeps approach. It is the primary progenitor of the domestic chicken and was first domesticated at least 5000 years ago in India. Since then, their domestic form has spread around the world and is kept globally as a very productive food source of both meat and eggs.
The true Red Jungle Fowl has a mix of feather colours with orange, brown, red, gold, grey, white, olive and even metallic green plumage. The tail of the male roosters can grow up to 28 cm and the whole bird may be as long as 70 cm. Compared to the more familiar domestic chicken, the Red Jungle Fowl has a much smaller body mass and is brighter in coloration. They are also behaviourally different from domestic chickens, being naturally very shy of humans compared to the much tamer domesticated subspecies.
The park is also home to large breeding populations of wild Elephants – when compared with other protected areas in India, Kaziranga has achieved notable success in wildlife conservation. Located on the edge of the Eastern Himalaya biodiversity hotspot, the park combines high species diversity and visibility. It is a vast expanse of tall elephant grass, marshland and dense tropical moist broadleaf forests. On my first visit at this zone, we were lucky to observe a family of wild Elephant close to the track just before sunset.
Female Indian Elephants are more social than males. They live in herds with their female relatives. Males usually are solitary but sometimes form small bachelor groups with other males. We saw a female herd with a couple of new babies.
Asian Elephants once roamed across most of Asia – now they are restricted to just 15% of their original range in a number of fragmented and isolated populations around south and south-east Asia.
They are not quite as big as their African cousins and have proportionally smaller ears. They are generally dark grey to brown but often have pink or yellow marks on their face, ears and trunk.
Living in some of the most densely populated parts of the world has brought challenges – Asian Elephant numbers have roughly halved in the last 3 Elephant generations.
The sunsets in the park are always spectacular … I think I am repeating myself … After we encountered the herd of Elephants our Gypsies headed back to the part gate to exit in time. But there was still time to watch the sunset and observe some Bar-Headed Geese splashing in the shallows.
This January we almost missed the proper exit time, because we got stopped by a couple of One-Horned Rhinos walking along the track. First one was to our left in the grassland and the guides stopped the Gypsies to watch. But then ahead of us a couple other Rhinos just walked out of the grassland …
It was obviously their regular path, because there was also a huge pile of Rhino dung next to the track … a clear marking of territory.
Poaching for Rhinoceros horn became the single most important reason for the decline of the Indian Rhino after conservation measures were put in place from the beginning of the 20th century, when legal hunting ended. It still remains a serious threat. Despite being illegal, Rhino horns are still used in some traditional Asian medicines for the treatment of a variety of illnesses. As per the Vietnamese, the horn of the Rhino provided remedies for fever and liver problems and most importantly it cures cancer diseases. A horn could fetch up to $ 60000 per pound in countries like China or Vietnam, even though in 1993, Rhino horn was removed from the official lists of Traditional Chinese Medicine. It is now only sold in Vietnam following an unsubstantiated rumour that horn cured a high-ranking official in Vietnam of cancer.
A Special Rhino Protection Force, which consists of 74 men and 8 women, is currently deployed in various parts of UNESCO World Heritage Site Kaziranga National Park. This special force has one sole objective – to protect the One-Horned Rhino. Maybe the Rhinos know that around here … they came out aplenty during twilight … without having a care in the world or even acknowledging the tourits in the jeeps …
This is the first time a dedicated force has been raised to keep a check on Rhino poaching and related activities in the Kaziranga National Park. In the years leading up to 2013, there was rampant Rhino poaching in Kaziranga. While 2013 and 2014 saw 27 poaching incidents each year, the figure decreased to 17 in 2015 and 18 in 2016. The last 2 years have seen a total of 6 cases each year. In 2019 there have been 3 cases so far.
Just before reaching the gate we spotted one more big old male Rhino right next to the track. It did not care at all about the Gypsy stopping right next to it. It was old and experienced and knew what to expect. Also our Guuides seemed to know this particular one roaming this area. They were not concerned with the proximity either.
Back to today … we exited the park in time around 10:30 and had plenty more to explore today …
