Guwahati: Assam's Kaziranga National
Park, home to highly endangered one-horned rhinos, was facing
a serious flood threat with half of its area submerged by
rising waters of the Brahmaputra in which a forest guard
drowned today.
Officials said guard Mahendra Karmakar fell off an
elephant while crossing a river at Betkhati under Kohora range
of the park and was feared drowned.
Meanwhile, nearly 50 per cent of the about 800 sq km
park was under water of the river Brahmaputra due to onset
of monsoon and heavy rainfall during the past week.
Prohibitory orders have been clamped on the national
highway running along the park to curb the speed of vehicles
and avert casualty to animals.
The animals, faced by rising water, tend to cross the
highway and migrate to the foothills of nearby Karbi Anglong
district.
There are several instances of animals getting crushed
under speeding vehicles or being poached.
Meanwhile, patrolling has been intensified in all the
four ranges -- Kohora, Bagori, Burapahar and Agratoli -- to
prevent poaching as the poachers take advantage of the rising
water and target the hapless animals inside the park which is
a world heritage site.
PTI
First Published: Wednesday, June 09, 2010, 21:57