Day 4
After an early lunch the ship docked at the pontoon of Silghat – a town located on the southern banks of the Brahmaputra River and our gateway to Kaziranga National Park. We hopped in our 3 mini busses and got shuttled to our first jeep safari. It was an almost 1.5 hrs ride along National Highway NH 37 which is part of the Asian Highway AH 01 and is a vital land connection between lower and upper Assam.
Kaziranga National Park is surrounded by the mighty Brahmaputra River on its northern and eastern boundaries and more or less this National Highway on its southern boundary. Since the park is inhabited by a multitude of animals and lies within the Brahmaputra River floodplain, during regular annual flooding in monsoon season when the rivers swells in width and submerges most of the land within its boundaries, many animals are forced to cross over the highway to surrounding foothills or higher ground of the adjacent foothills in order to escape rising water levels through animal corridors. The NH 37 passes through all 4 animal corridors in this park along with many villages.
Those animal corridors are clearly marked by huge signs and speed limits. But there is a lot of traffic on this highway. Sadly, many drivers forget that the highway is also an animal corridor and despite there being a countless speed limit warnings of 40kmph no one really paid any attention to it – except our bus drivers, of course … Almost everybody zoomed past us. We only once saw police making speed checks on the road. 49 km of NH 37 – with up to 6000 vehicles a day – pass through Kaziranga National Park.
And if that part of the highway would ever be closed to traffic, a detour route from Guwahati to Jorhat would mean a road distance of 391 km instead of 305 km, which translates to an increase in travel time by approx 2 hrs driving … Remember, we are in India! 300 km already means some 6 hrs of driving …
Kaziranga National Park is also surrounded by lush green tea plantations, most of them contributing heavily to Assam’s economy. We passed several tea plantations on our way.
We did not have to go that far. Our first jeep safari would lead us into the Western Safari Zone from Bagori Gate approx 45 km from Silghat. The western zone is the most preferred tourism zone in Kaziranga as the landscape of this zone provides the opportunity to get very close sightings of the One-Horned Rhino. It is my personal favourite safari zone here.
But before we reached the entrance gate of the park, we stopped along the highway in search of Hoolock Gibbons – the second-largest of the gibbons. Our Guide Mohan knew an area where they apparently hang out … we did not even have to get off the highway. He watched the forest next to the highway intendedly … this time we were not lucky, though … Only when I was here last March we had the good fortune to spot a pair of them swinging though the canopy.
The Hoolock Gibbon can reach a size of 60 to 90 cm – males are black-colored with remarkable white brows, while females have a grey-brown fur, which is darker at the chest and neck. White rings around their eyes and mouths give their faces a mask-like appearance. They live together in monogamous pairs, stake out a territory and their diet consists mainly of fruits, insects and leaves. Their life expectancy in the wild is about 25 years.
There were a couple of view points along the road near a large swamp as well. We always spotted our first Rhino there. Often a few of them stand knee deep in water there and munch away.
The Great One-Horned Rhinoceros – Rhinoceros Unicornis – also called the Indian Rhinoceros or Great Indian Rhinoceros – is native to the Indian subcontinent. It is listed as Vulnerable as populations are fragmented and restricted to less than 20000 km². Moreover, the extent and quality of the rhino’s most important habitat – alluvial grassland and riverine forest – is considered to be in decline due to human and livestock encroachment. As per an 2018 estimation approx 2400 Rhinos live in Kaziranga National Park.
From that particular view point we spotted also a wild Asian Elefant with its baby. They love this swamp as well. And of course the wild Asiatic Water Buffalo finds it a favorite spot to hang out.
A Lesser Adjutant Stork – Leptoptilos Javanicus – is a large wading bird, has a bare neck and head. It is closely associated with wetland habitats where it is solitary and is less likely to scavenge than the related Greater Adjutant. It is a widespread species found from India through Southeast Asia to Java in large rivers and lakes inside well wooded regions, in freshwater wetlands and coastal wetlands including mudflats and mangroves.
Close by an Indian Pond Heron – Ardeola Grayii – was fishing as well and got lucky – it caught a fish! Pond Heron are widespread and common but can be easily missed when they stalk prey at the edge of small water-bodies or even when they roost close to human habitations. They are however distinctive when they take off with bright white wings flashing in contrast to the cryptic streaked olive and brown colours of the body. Their camouflage is so excellent that they can be approached closely before they take to flight, a behaviour which has resulted in folk names and beliefs that the birds are short-sighted or blind.
One of the Rhinos was not a bit disturbed by a flock of Bar-Headed Goose – Anser Indicus – around it. These geese breed in Central Asia in colonies of thousands near high altitude mountain lakes – they winter in South Asia – arriving in Assam in November or December and depart by March.
The Bar-Headed Goose has been reported as migrating south from Tibet, Kazakhstan, Mongolia and Russia crossing the Himalaya and is one of the world’s highest-flying bird, having been heard flying across Mount Makalu – the 5th highest mountain on earth at 8481 m – and apparently seen over Mount Everest – 8848 m – with the flight across the Himalaya starting from sea-level being undertaken non-stop in 8 – 12 hrs. Humans who climb the Himalayas have to acclimatize or use suplimentary oxygen. The Bar-Headed Goose, however, uses oxygen more efficiently. Scientists have known for decades that these geese have an enhanced ability to bind oxygen in their hemoglobin – a process that moves large quantities of oxygen to individual cells – giving them the nickname Astronauts of the bird world.
Continuing towards the park gate we met a domestic Elephant carrying his dinner home as well. Of course, we had to stop the busses and get off at this photo opportunity. Mohan asked the Mahout to stop and have the Elephant pose for the tourists. As a well-trained Elephant of course he knew how to pose and even more so he carefully grabbed the baksheesh Mohan held out for him with his trunk and dutifully presented it to his Mahout.
India is home to between 50 and 60% of all of Asia’s wild elephants and about 20% of the domesticated elephants. The Elephant enjoys a special status in the country and symbolizes the Indian ethos. It has been very closely associated with the religion, myths, history and cultural heritage of India for centuries. Protecting and ensuring the survival of the Elephant means much more to an Indian than protecting just another endangered species. Although the Tiger has been designated as the national animal of India, for most Indians the Elephant is the de facto national animal. It has been rightly said that one cannot imagine India without the Elephant.
Domestic Elephants are a common sight here on the highway in the National Park. And around lunch time they all walk home, after their morning job carrying tourists on a jungle safari.
Once we reached Bagori Gate we had to take the necessary technical break … It is not easy to find suitable facilities for our spoilt guests. But fortunately close to this particular gate there were reasonably clean public toilets. We had a 3 hrs jeep safari ahead of us …
Kaziranga National Park is approx 40 km in length from east to west and 13 km in breadth from north to south. It covers an area of 378 km² with approximately 50 km² lost to erosion in recent years. A total addition of 429 km² along the present boundary of the park has been made and designated with separate national park status to provide extended habitat for the increasing population of wildlife or as a corridor for safe movement of animals. In 1995 Kaziranga National Park has been declared an UNESCO World Heritage Site since the sanctuary hosts two-thirds of the world’s Great One-Horned Rhinoceroses.
We got on our Maruti Gypsy Safari Jeeps at the gate. 4 guests per vehicle – which makes it a comfortable enough ride. After all it is a safari … But do not expect fancy safari 4×4 like in South Africa … this is India … For some of our guests it is never good enough … but well … I love those safaris and everytime there are different conditions and different animal encounters … We do 3 jeeps safaris in total on each cruise – afternoon – morning – afternoon – and each in a different area with somewhat different vegetation.
Kaziranga has flat expanses of fertile, alluvial soil, formed by erosion and silt deposition by the Brahmaputra River. The landscape consists of exposed sandbars, riverine flood-formed lakes – which make up 5% of the surface area – and elevated regions known to provide retreats and shelter for animals during floods. The park is one of the largest tracts of protected land in the sub-Himalayan belt and due to the presence of highly diverse and visible species has been described as a biodiversity hotspot.
The first bird we spotted today during our safari was an Asian Openbill Stork – Anastomus Oscitans – sitting on the top of a tree dealing with his lunch. The Asian Openbill Stork feeds mainly on large molluscs and they separate the shell from the body of the snail using the tip of the beak. The tip of the lower mandible of the beak is often twisted to the right. This tip can be inserted into the opening of the snail and the body is extracted with the bill – or the gap is used like a nutcracker …
Below in the water several of the Openbill Storks were foraging for prey by holding their bill tips slightly apart and make rapid vertical jabs in shallow water often with the head and neck partially submerged. They also feed on water snakes, frogs and large insects.
The Asian Openbill Stork is predominantly greyish in non-breeding season or white in breeding season with glossy black wings and tail that have a green or purple sheen. The name is derived from the distinctive gap of the beak in adult birds. Young birds do not have this gap. The mantle is black and the bill is horn-grey. At a distance, they can appear somewhat like a White Stork. They are usually found in flocks.
Passing through a forested area before reaching the next marshland one our nature guides – we had 4 of them alternating every 15 minutes between the 7 jeeps of our group – found a Spotted Owlet – Athene Brama – sitting in a tree. At least the guests on my jeep saw it, I think the others had missed it. The small owl breeds in tropical Asia and is a common resident of open habitats including farmland and human habitation. They roost in the hollows of trees during the day. This one we saw just sat on a tree branch eyeing us …
There was also a Crested Serpent Eagle – Spilornis Cheela – a medium-sized bird of prey that is found in forested habitats across tropical Asia – sitting in a tree. They usually fly over the forest canopy on broad wings – the tail has wide white and black bars. They often feed on snakes, giving them their name.
Reaching open grass- and marshland again, a Rhino stood close to the road with its 2 resident Cattle Egret. The Rhino was not in the least bit disturbed by the bunch of jeeps stopping only some 30 meters away from it. Our nature guides and also the jeep drivers always made sure we were not too close and ready to depart. And in at least one of the jeeps an armed ranger was always riding with the convoy …
… just in case … after all there is also a large Tiger population in Kaziranga National Park … not that I ever saw one there, though … but the Rhinos can run up to 40 km/h fast as well …
The Cattle Egrets – Bubulcus coromandus – are found in the tropics, subtropics and warm temperate zones. They often accompany cattle or other large mammals, catching insect and small vertebrate prey disturbed by these animals – hence the name. It removes ticks and flies from cattle and consumes them. This benefits both species. Every Rhino has their own Egret around here … Maybe they should be called Rhino Egret rather than Cattle Egret in the park …
Across the track we spotted a pair of Woolly-Necked Stork – Ciconia Episcopus – a large wading bird which breeds in small loose colonies. It is distributed in a wide variety of habitats including marshes in forests, agricultural areas and freshwater wetlands. It is a medium-sized stork with a glistening black overall, a black skull cap and a downy white neck which gives it its name. The lower belly and under-tail coverts are white, standing out from the rest of the dark coloured plumage.
While we admired the storks, behind us a family of Indian Wild Boar made an appearance. The Indian Wild Boar – Sus Scrofa Cristatus – differs from its European counterpart not only by its large mane which runs in a crest along its back from its head to lower body, but has also an overall lighter build. The animal occasionally appears in Vedic mythology.
As the convoy moved on we saw a pair of Indian Roller – Coracias Benghalensis – which occurs widely from West Asia to the Indian Subcontinent and is often seen perched along roadside trees and wires or commonly seen in open grassland and scrub forest habitats. The largest population occurs in India and several states in India have chosen it as their state bird. The Indian Roller is a stocky bird. The breast is brownish and the crown and vent are blue. The primaries are deep purplish blue with a band of pale blue. The tail is sky blue with a terminal band of Prussian blue and the central feathers are dull green. The neck and throat are purplish lilac with white shaft streaks. It looks absolutly stunning in flight, but is unfortunately always too fast to catch a photograph of it.
Just before we reached Dunga Camp View Point, our nature guides stopped again to show us a pair of Tokay Geckos – Gekko Gecko – hiding in a tree trunk. Its native habitat is rainforest, where it lives on trees and cliffs roaming in search of insect prey. To be honest – I only ever spotted this one when checking the photos after the safari … I never actually saw it when we were there … and the Geckos sat in the same tree trunk every time I have done that safari … once there were even 4 in there …
Dunga Camp is near a rather large lake and it has a watch tower to climb for better views. It is one of the park ranger anti poaching camps. Several old sculls of buffalo, elephant and other animals were on display.
The base of the building had the water level marks of recent year on it. Even though this camp is quite a ways away from the Brahmaputra, the water rises here regularly in monsoon season. This year approx 90 % of Kaziranga National Park had been flooded and not only the Rhinos were scrambling for higher ground. During not-so-devastating floods, animals in Kaziranga flee to higher grounds within the park. These include manmade highlands each 4 – 6 m high and large enough to accommodate up to 50 large animals. But when 70-80% of Kaziranga is under water, the animals usually start flee to the hills of Karbi Anglong south of the park beyond the National Highway running along its edge. Some 400 animals died in the 2017 floods, including more than 30 rhinos. This year, some 220 animals have died including 21 Rhinos – 16 of them where calves..
However, unlike for farmlands across the Brahmaputra floodplain, monsoon floods are essential to Kaziranga’s ecosystem. The national park’s vast grasslands and wetlands are revitalized annually by the Brahmaputra’s overflow. According to park authorities Kaziranga’s plant and animal life are intrinsically linked to the floods that help recharge its wetlands and deposit mineral-rich alluvial soil to facilitate growth of grass and shrubs that are the main source of fodder for herbivores. Besides, the floodwaters, while receding, flush out aquatic weeds and unwanted plants from permanent and seasonal wetland lakes. Those lakes account for approx 6 % of Kaziranga’s total area.
From the watchtower we had a great view over the lake and spotted a family of Eurasian Otter – Lutra Lutra – also known as Eurasian River Otter or Old World Otter – a semiaquatic mammal native to Eurasia and the most widely distributed member of the otter family found in the waterways and coasts of Europe and Asia. The Eurasian Otter has a diet mainly of fish and is strongly territorial.
We saw another turtle swimming – most probably an Indian Roofed Turtle – Pangshura Tecta – a species of turtle found in the major rivers of South Asia. It is a quiet-water turtle, occurring in quiet streams, canals, oxbows, ponds and man-made water tanks and inhabits the Ganges, Brahmaputra, Indus and Mahanadi river drainages.
Visibility was good over the lake and there were animals everywhere … all happily grazing with each other. A bunch of Water Buffalos were lounging in the shallows and Swamp Deer were munching in the swamp. Swamp Deer are mainly grazers and largely feed on grasses and aquatic plants throughout the day with peaks during the mornings and late afternoons to evenings.
Last time I was here, there were so many Rhinos at the lake, that we could not count them all. The One-Horned Rhinoceros once ranged across the entire northern part of the Indian Subcontinent, along the Indus, Ganges and Brahmaputra River basins from Pakistan to the Indian-Myanmar border, including Bangladesh and the southern parts of Nepal and Bhutan. As a result of habitat destruction and climatic changes its range has gradually been reduced so that nowadays it only inhabits the alluvial grasslands of the Terai in southern Nepal and the Brahmaputra basin.
A huge flock of Bar-Headed Geese were also on the lake. The birds are pale grey and easily distinguished by the two horseshoe-shaped, brownish-black bars on the back of a white head. The body is gray overall and the bill and legs are pink, orange or yellow. Not only are these geese an integral part of the ecosystem, but they are also important to science. Researchers believe that with better data about the Bar-Headed Geese’s resistance to extreme temperatures, they could help humans better cope with altitude and respiratory diseases.
In the tree next to the watch tower a pair of Yellow-Footed Green Pigeon – Treron Phoenicoptera – was sitting. It is the state bird of Maharashtra and feeds on fruit, including many species of Ficus. A widespread resident in wooded areas of India they usually forage in flocks and often are found sitting in couples on tree branches.
Somebody spotted an Alexandrine Parakeet – Psittacula Eupatria – in the tree on the other side. While Rose-Ringed Parakeet are rather common around here and often spotted or heard, I had never seen an Alexandrine Parakeet here. It is named after Alexander the Great, who transported numerous birds from Punjab to various European and Mediterranean countries and regions where they were prized by royalty, nobility and warlords. The Alexandrine Parakeet is predominantly green with a light blue-grey sheen on the cheeks and nape, yellow-green abdomen, red patch on the shoulders and a red beak with yellow tips. The upperside of the tail passes from green at the top to blue further down and is yellow at the tip. The underside of the tail is yellow.
Once we watched a Pied Kingfisher – Ceryle Rudis – a species of water kingfisher widely distributed across Asia – hovering over the lake. Its black and white plumage and crest as well as its habit of hovering before diving for fish make it very distinctive. This kingfisher feeds mainly on fish, although it will take crustaceans and large aquatic insects such as dragonfly larvae and usually hunts by hovering over the water to detect prey and diving vertically bill-first to capture fish.
Leaving the watch tower we got back on the Gypsies and the tour followed the shore lines of more swamplands. An Indian Darter – Anhinga Melanogaster – was basking and drying in the sun. It has a long and slender neck with a straight, pointed bill and, like the cormorant, it hunts for fish while its body is submerged in water. It spears a fish underwater, bringing it above the surface, tossing and juggling it before swallowing the fish head first. The body remains submerged as it swims and the slender neck alone is visible above the water, which accounts for the colloquial name of snakebird. It has wettable feathers and it is often found perched on a rock or branch with its wings held open to dry.
Our nature guides did not even have to search for Rhinos around here … they were everywhere! The biggest threat that One-Horned Rhinos face is human harassment and encroachment. For centuries, Rhinos have been hunted for sport and for their horn. In the early 19th century, the Rhino was almost hunted to extinction. The remaining animals are only found in protected reserves where populations are currently being brought back from the edge of extinction. With strict protection from Indian and Nepalese wildlife authorities, numbers have recovered from under 200 last century to around 3400 today. However, poaching has remained high and the success is precarious without continued and increased support for conservation efforts. Here in Kaziranga on a route in the central part, the Rhinos obviously know, that they are on the safe side and we were lucky to see many of them and many close up as well.
All throughout our safari we spotted White-Throated Kingfisher – Halcyon Smyrnensis – which are widely distributed through the Indian subcontinent. This kingfisher is a resident over much of its range, although some populations may make short distance movements. It can often be found well away from water where it feeds on a wide range of prey that includes small reptiles, amphibians, crabs, small rodents and even birds. Often we saw it perched on branches along the track.
Only once on my many safaris here, we encountered a Cinnamon Bittern – Lxobrychus Cinnamomeus – a small Old World bittern, breeding in tropical and subtropical Asia from India east to China and Indonesia. This is a small species possessing a short neck and longish bill, the male is uniformly cinnamon. They can be difficult to see, given their skulking lifestyle and reed bed habitat, but tend to emerge at dusk, when they can be seen creeping almost cat-like in search of frogs and other amphibians.
Today it was a Bird-&-Rhino-watching-safari! Pairs of Ruddy Shelduck – Tadorna Ferruginea- known in India as the Brahminy Duck – were frequently spotted as well. Their main breeding area is from southeast Europe across central Asia to Lake Baikal, Mongolia and western China – the eastern populations are mostly migratory and wintering in the Indian subcontinent. Therefore it is a common winter visitor in Kaziranga National Park where it arrives by October and departs by April. Though more common in the lowlands, it also inhabits higher altitudes and in central Asia it is one of the few waterbirds – along with the Bar-Headed Goose – to be found on lakes at 5000 m altitude.
An absolute traffic stopper during the afternoon safaris are always the domesticated Elephants walking home from their duty. Some of them take tourist on safaris … but only in the mornings. Others help the park rangers in the anti poaching camps or with patrol duties. They usually roam near the ranger camps. Late afternoon they walk out of the park carrying their dinner to over night near the park gate, where in the early morning the safaris will start.
The man-elephant relationship is quite strange. While most of the domestic animals have wild forebears, which are largely untameable, are now most highly attuned to man – take the dog, the cat, the water buffalo etc. – many wild-caught Elephants quickly and easily form intimate bonds with their keepers even though their wild temperament has never been modified through selective breeding. Some Elephants form such warm and affectionate bonds with man as to deceive the observer into thinking that this animal must have been made truly domestic. But a domesticated Elephant is simply a wild animal in chains – but a wild animal frequently gentle and intelligent enough to be totally trustworthy.
Consider the implications of the various terms that have been used for Elephants in domesticity – tame elephant, work elephant, timber elephant, domestic elephant, domesticated elephant and – lately in vogue – captive elephant. Tame elephant can be discarded as misleading, work elephant and timber elephant are not applicable anymore since using elephants in timber work is forbidden nowadays … Apart from science, words such as captive or domestic also have a totally separate meaning in the law of each elephant-keeping country. Western ethics clash with those of the East. The Elephant, perceived as a long-treasured household elephant in most Indian minds, might often be seen as an abused captive elephant in contemporary Western eyes … But the photo opportunity everybody takes nevertheless … the dilemma starts once the guests start thinking about it later on …
Often we see baby elephants tagging along their mothers. Elephants are not and have never been domesticated like cats or dogs. They have gone through the process of domestication – a socio-biological process that happens over the course of many generations of human-guided breeding. Most experts agree that to be domesticated, animals must have been selectively bred by humans for at least 12 generations, with offspring from each generation chosen for further breeding based on their desired traits like strength, size, appearance and behaviour. Throughout the 3000-year history of humans using elephants, most elephants have been captured from the wild – until it had been forbidden in India in the 1980s. Many may be now first, second or even third generation captive bred, but they were not bred selectively for the traits desirable by humans. The fact that humans have been using elephants for a long time does not make them domesticated. Elephants require training to accept human contact. Even then, they retain their natural instincts which are meant for the wild. The word domesticated suggests elephants have lost their wild instincts and have adapted successfully for a life lived with humans. But that is far from the thruth …
Back to bird watching after passing the elephants, we sure enough saw a Grey-Headed Fish Eagle – Haliaeetus Ichthyaetus – perched in a tree. It is a large stocky raptor with adults having dark brown upper body, grey head, lighter underbelly and white legs. The Lesser Fish Eagle is similar in plumage but smaller and the Pallas’s Fish Eagle shares the same habitat and feeding behaviour but is larger with longer wings and darker underparts … I might be confusing one for the other …
And more Rhinos … Rhinos galore along the track as if ordered for us! And they did not much care about us. They just stood there munching away …
The Indian Rhinoceros has very little body hair – aside from eyelashes, ear fringes and tail brush. Males have huge neck folds. Its nasal horn is slightly back-curved with a base that rapidly narrows until a smooth, even stem part begins. The rhino’s single horn is present in both males and females, but not on newborn young. The black horn is pure keratin, like human fingernails, and starts to show after about 6 years. The Rhino has thick grey-brown skin with pinkish skin folds. Its upper legs and shoulders are covered in wart-like bumps.
We were lucky again in spotting another Crested Serpent Eagle perched close by. This medium-large, dark brown eagle is stocky, with rounded wings and a short tail. The tail and underside of the flight feathers are black with broad white bars.
In a swampy lake there was a pair of Black-Necked Storks – Ephippiorhynchus Asiaticus – tall long-necked wading birds resident across the Indian Subcontinent. They live in wetland habitats where they forage for a wide range of animal prey. Adult birds have a heavy bill and are patterned in white and glossy blacks. It is one of the few storks that is strongly territorial when feeding. Adults have a glossy bluish-black iridescent head, neck and tail, a bright white back and belly and bright red legs.
Like most storks, the Black-Necked Stork flies with the neck outstretched, not retracted like a heron. In flight it appears spindly and a black bar running through the white wings with black neck and tail make it distinctive. In March we saw one flying which made a beautiful contrast in front of the Flame-of-the-Forest trees.
The storks had no problem with some Bar-Headed Geese sharing the swamp with them. These geese prefer freshwater habitats such as bogs, open marshes, marshy lakes or river wetlands – in Kaziranga National Park there are plenty such habitats.
The geese are gregarious birds that gather in large flocks and mix with other waterfowl. They are powerful fliers and have larger, more efficient lungs than many other bird species, adaptations that ornithologists believe are essential for their demanding, high-altitude migration. On land, they walk well and graze continually.
In the distance we were able to observe a whole family of Wild Indian Elephant – Elephas Maximus Indicus – taking a bath in a lake. Elephants love water and in nature they spend many hours playing in it, swimming and taking soaks with their families.
As per an 2017 estimation Kaziranga National Park is home to approx 1090 wild Indian Elephants. They browse more in the dry season, drink at least once a day and are never far from a permanent source of fresh water. Adult females and calves move about together as groups, but adult males disperse from their mothers when reaching adolescence. Cow-calf units generally tend to be small, typically consisting of 3 adults – most likely related females – and their offspring. This family herd took a happy bath while crossing the lake.
Further down the route a large troup of Rhesus Macaque – Macaca Mulatta – one of the best-known species of Old World monkeys – was blocking the track. Native to South, Central and Southeast Asia they has the widest geographic range of all non-human primates, occupying a great diversity of altitudes and a great variety of habitats from grasslands to arid and forested areas, but also close to human settlements. The Rhesus Macaque is brown or grey in color and has a pink face. They are both arboreal and terrestrial and mostly herbivorous, feeding mainly on fruit.
Sometimes we get lucky and a Rhino crosses the road in front of our Gypsies. It is always a special sight. In January with only 6 guests, we only had 2 Gypsies and the best view.
While now with more guests and 7 Gypsies it was always funny to watch the guests complain, because they did not get the best view of all. Mostly they forget that this is a national park with wild animals and not a zoo … If a Rhino chooses to cross the road than it certainly does not do it to please the tourist … One-Horned Rhinos do tend to use the same paths through their habitat, which are marked by a scent gland on the bottom of their feet, however. Traces of their urine and dung, which can also be distributed on their feet, act as scent-markers as well. Our nature guides do know those tracks … but that is no guarantee to have them cross at the right time at the right spot …
Our route was then leaving the grassland and entering into a more forested area. The first animal we spotted there, was an Asian Water Monitor – Varanus Salvator. The species is semiaquatic and opportunistic – they inhabit a variety of natural habitats though predominantly reside in primary forests and mangrove swamps. Monitor Lizards have long necks, powerful tails, claws and well-developed limbs.
In the dense broadleaf forests of the park there was as usual much to spot. A huge Buffalo stood in the bushes, on the forest floor sat a little White-Rumped Shama – Copsychus Malabaricus – which got our guide totally excited – and then we all got excited because a beautiful Great Indian Hornbill – Buceros Bicornis – of impressive size and colour sat in a tree above us as if posing for us. That was definitely a special sighting.
A Sambar Deer – Rusa Unicolor – stood in the thicket. The large deer native to the Indian Subcontinent has a shaggy coat which can be from yellowish brown to dark grey in colour with a tail that is relatively long for deer and generally black above with a whitish underside.
Of course we met another Rhino in the forest … it was a huge one … most probably a single male roaming its territory. It was magnificent to watch. First it eyed us suspiciously.
Among terrestrial land mammals native to Asia, the Indian Rhinoceros is second in size only to the Asian Elephant. Males can have a head and body length of 3.60 – 3.80 m and are averaging about 2200 kg. The Mughal emperors of South Asia used Greater One-Horned Rhinos in fights against elephants as entertainment. The Rhinos would often win. Thankfully, this sport is no longer practized or permitted.
After a few minutes of us watching the Rhino and the Rhino watching us it probably decided that we were not so interesting and trotted off in search of greener pastures …
On a former visit an entire family of wild Elephants crossed the track right in front of us. We had spotted one Elephant in the thickets and the nature guides had stopped the Gypsies. Waiting for animal sightings is actually a large part of a safari in a national park. Driving around in search of animals is fine, but being patient and wait quietly near a swamp or lake around here is definitely rewarding.
Here we waited not too long, but really quiet … and eventually the Elephant family did cross the road right in front of us. It was spectacular!
As per conservation status, the Indian Elephant has been listed as endangered due to loss of habitat and poaching. In 2019 the estimated population of the Asian Elephants in India is between 27785 and 31368 in wild areas, with Assam being the state with the second highest number – some 5719 Elephants – after Karnataka.
Watching the baby elephants toddling behind their mothers was absolutely outstanding. The best sighting – definitely!
A Streak-Throated Woodpecker – Picus Xanthopygaeus – a medium-sized, green woodpecker with a streaked throat and scaly whitish underparts, green above with a yellowish rump, a crown red in male, blackish in female – sat in a tree close to the track.
A little further on we had an excellent sighting of a Woolly-Necked-Stork – Ciconia Episcopus – its name-giving wooly neck clearly visible.
On top of a tree sat a Grey Pelican – Pelecanus Philippensis. The species is found to breed only in peninsular India, Sri Lanka and in Cambodia. A few birds from India are known to winter in the Gangetic plains and their main habitat is in shallow lowland freshwaters. It is not migratory but known to make local movements.
Like most other pelicans, it catches fish in its huge bill pouch while swimming at the surface. Unlike others however it does not form large feeding flocks and is usually found to fish singly.
Another flock of Openbill Stork – Anastomus Oscitans – were wading through the shallow swamp foraging for food. The open bill was clearly visible.
In the meantime the family of Elephants, we observed bathing before, had left the lake and was roaming around the shrubs of the grassland near the swamp.
Female Asian Elephants usually lack tusks – if tusks are present, they are barely visible and only seen when the mouth is open. Furthermore, the forehead has 2 hemispherical bulges, unlike the flat front of the African Elephant. Asian Elephants are agile at using their feet in conjunction with the trunk for manipulating objects.
The herd came rather close to the track, but obviousely never intended to cross it … at least not in the immediate future … We could not wait that long since the Gypsies had to leave the national park by 17:00 this time of the year …
On the way back to the park gate we encountered of course more Rhinos just before sunset. The name Rhinoceros is a combination of the ancient Greek words ῥίς – ris – meaning nose and κέρας – keras – meaning horn of an animal. The Latin word ūnicornis means one-horned.
The Indian and Javan Rhinoceroses first appeared in the fossil record in Asia around 1.6 mio to 3.3 mio years ago. Although they are not believed to be closely related to other rhino species.
Sunsets in Kaziranga National Park are always a special time as well. Sunsets in Assam are special. However here in the national park the animals seem to know that the tourists in noisy jeeps are about to leave the area, that the park rangers retreat to their camps and the park will fall quiet soon.
Rhinos, Buffalos and Deer wandered along the swamps for an evening meal and seemed to enjoy the twilight before the dark of the night.
On the safaris, we always take a moment to stop and watch the sunset even if there is no animal in the immediate vicinity. And watching the sunset does not mean we will not spot more animals on the way out of the park … but taking a sunset moment is just necessary …
A few more Rhinos stood in the grassland not giving a care in the world.
Poaching of Rhinos however has been a constant threat in Kaziranga National Park. But thankfully the park has recorded a significant drop in the number of Rhinos that have been poached since the year 2016. However, the threat level remains to be still high. Poachers are always on the prowl and look for opportunities to take a sneak peek in the park with the aim to kill Rhinos. So, continued efforts in saving the Rhinos from the eye of the poachers need to be maintained.
Just in time we exited the park gate and after the mandatory technical stop at the public facilities, we all got back on our Mini Busses. All guests were quiet in the busses … there were too many impressions to process today … some noted down all the animals we spotted today … some were taking a nap … others were just contemplating traffic conditions … The traffic on the highway was heavy and for some too hair raising after dark …
