159 animals dead, 133 rescued in flooded Kaziranga
July 10, 2024 01:08
In the worst ever
floods in Assam's famed Kaziranga National Park in recent years, a total
of 159 wild animals have died so far due to drowning and during
treatment, while 133 others have been rescued till Tuesday, an official
said.
The animal mortality has increased from 137 till Monday in
the devastating second wave of floods that have affected the entire
state.
The dead animals include nine rhinos, 142 hog deer, two
sambar, a rhesus macaque and an otter.
A total of 22 animals have
died during treatment and these include 17 hog deer, three swamp deer
and one each of Rhesus Macaque and an otter pup.
The forest
officials rescued 120 hog deer, three swamp deer, two each of rhino,
sambar, elephant and scops owl and one each of Indian hare, Rhesus
Macaque, otter, and a jungle cat.
Currently, 7 animals are under
medical care while 111 others have been released after treatment, the
official said.
The Park is experiencing the worst ever deluge in
recent years with the previous large-scale devastation occurring in 2017
when over 350 wildlife died in the flood waters and in vehicle hits
while migrating through animal corridors to the highlands.
Meanwhile, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Tuesday
that in a successful rescue mission carried out by the forest department
of Sonitpur West Division and the public in Tezpur, an elephant which
got separated from its herd was rescued and reunited with its herd
within three days.
Out of the total 233 camps in the Eastern Assam
Wildlife Division, 62 are still inundated till Tuesday evening as
against 70 the previous day, the official said.
Forest department
employees including security personnel stay in camps inside the national
park to conduct patrolling for the protection of flora and fauna. -- PTI
TOP STORIES
© 2024 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances