Kaziranga national park

This is a presentation about the glorious kaziranga national park of assam, showing some famous and beautiful animals and birds of the park and some common problems.

1. KAZIRANGA NATIONAL PARK

2. LOCATION and CLIMATE Location of Kaziranga National Park : tucked in Golaghat district of Assam, the park lies along the main highway between Johhat and the Guwahati. Hamlet of Bokakhat lies to the east, 23 KM (14 miles) from Kaziranga. The park is flanked by the Bodo hills to the west. Climate of Kaziranga National Park : The temperature during Summer is moderate (35° C to 95° F) while winter night are chilly (minimum of 7° C to 45° F ). This place receives heavy rainfall during summer (2300mm to 90 inch).

3. TOPOGRAPHY The Park is 40km long and 13km wide . It lies in the flood plain of the Brahmaputra River, sloping very gradually from east to west against a backdrop of the foothills and snow-covered peaks of the eastern Himalayas. The riverside habitat consists primarily of dense tall grassland interspersed with open forests, interconnecting streams and numerous small flood formed lakes which cover some 5% of its area. The whole park is occasionally flooded for 5-10 days, and three-quarters of the western area is annually submerged. The soils are alluvial.

4. Map of kaziranga national park showing Rivers, Road, Railways

5. CULTURAL HERITAGE Mikir tribesmen live in the neighboring Karbi-Anglong hills to the south. There are no villages inside the national park but it is densely bordered on three sides by human settlements and tea plantations. There are 39 villages within a 10km radius of the park, with an estimated population of 22,300 people in 1983-1984, most of them very poor subsistence farmers tempted by poverty to fish and poach wildlife in the Park .

6. The Mikir Tribe

7. VISITORS The interior of the Park is accessible outside the flood season (May to October), mostly on elephant-back, by 4WD vehicles or seen from watchtowers. Guides are mandatory and foot safaris are banned. There are seven tourist lodges in the Park. Some 22,020 people visited the park in 1983-84, and 15,700 in 1997. With the lessening of political turmoil in Assam the tourist potential of Kaziranga has begun to develop again. In 2001-02 there were 46,306 visitors. In 2003 an Elephant Festival was held and tourist companies were once more visiting the Park regularly.

8. Tourists taking a tour in a jeep . A tour on elephants back

9. COMMUNICATION AIRWAYS : The two most convenient bases for getting to Kaziranga are Jorhat and Guwahati. Jorhat, 97 km from the sanctuary, is the nearest airport, but Guwahati’s Borjhar Airport, 239 km from Kaziranga, is connected by more flights. RAILWAYS : The nearest station is Furkating, situated 75-km away from Kaziranga National Park. ROADWAYS : The main gate for Kaziranga Wildlife Sanctuary, at Kohora on the NH-37, consists of a handful of cafes and a small local market. ASTC and private buses stop here on their way to and from Guwahati, Tezpur and Upper Assam.

10. HISTORY •On January 28, 1913,, the area of reserved forest was expanded and Kaziranga was declared a "Game Sanctuary" on November 10, 1938. •The then conservator of forests, AJW Milroy, stopped all poaching and opened Kaziranga to tourists. •However, in 1950 the name was changed to "wildlife sanctuary" as the word "game" co notated animals for hunting. •On February 11, 1974. It was declared "Kaziranga National Park. It was listed a world heritage site in 1985.

11. FAUNA The world’s largest population of one horned rhinoceros (70 per cent). Wild buffalo (50 per cent) and swamp deer (65 per cent) are in the Kaziranga National Park. There were 1164 Indian one-horned rhinoceros and 1034 Asiatic wild buffalo in the park in 1993. The figure of the rhino in 1999 was of 1200. The number of elephant was 982 and tigers 804 in 1997. There were 526 swamp deer in 1993.

12. Although there are other animals and birds in the park but the concentration is more on the protection of this animal. In fact, Kaziranga can also be described as an oasis for wildlife. The great one horned Rhinosaures .  (Rhinoceros unicornis)

13. The Great one horned Rhino is commonly found in Nepal, Bhutan, Pakistan and Assam, India. The Indian rhino can run at the speed of 25kmph(40kmph) Indian Rhinos are brownish in colour and are hairless. They have knobby skin that appears to be amour-plated.

14. Kaziranga National Park has the highest density and the third highest population of tigers in the country. The tiger density in Kaziranga is 12.72 per 100 square km. The park was declared a tiger reserve in 2007 The royal Bengal tiger (Panthera Tigris Tigris )

15. One more important animal is the great Indian elephant. they stand eight to ten feet tall at the shoulder. Females weigh about 6,000 pounds and males can weigh up to 11,900 pounds. Indian Elephants  ( Elephas maximus indicus )

16. The wild water buffalo occurs in India, Nepal, Bhutan, Thailand and Cambodia, with an unconfirmed population in Myanmar. In India, the species is largely restricted to in and around Kaziranga, Manas and Dibru-Saikhowa National Parks, Laokhowa Wildlife Sanctuary and Bura Chapori Wildlife Sanctuary and in a few scattered pockets in Assam. They weigh from 600 to 1,200 kg head-to-body-length is 240 to 300 cm (94 to 118 in) with a tail 60 to 100 cm (24 to 39 in) long Wild water Buffalo (Bubalus arnee)

17. The swamp deer is a deer species distributed in the Indian subcontinent. Populations in northern and central India are fragmented, and two isolated populations occur in southwestern Nepal. The barasingha is a large deer with a shoulder height of 44 to 46 inch and a head-to-body length of nearly 6 ft. Swamp Deer (Cervus duvaucelii)

18. Apart from being the home of the one-horned rhino, Kaziranga is also the natural habitat of wild buffaloes, Asiatic Elephant, Indian Bison, wild boars, barasingha (Eastern swamp deer), leopards, tigers, Jackal, hoollock gibbons, capped langur, rock python, and monitor lizards. Although tigers inhabit this park, it is quite difficult to sight one.

19. BIRDS Almost 478 species of birds (both migratory and resident) have been spotted at the park, including 25 globally threatened and 21 near threatened species. Every forest range of kaziranga offer different insight to the avian world of kaziranga. The eastern range is great for raptors, fishing birds and waterfowl. The central range is great for grass land birds and migratory birds. The western range is more like a healthy combination.

20. The most famous bird of kaziranga is undoubtedly the Bengal Florican. It is said during the mating season, the male jump up at least 20 feet in the air to win over a female.   Bengal florican  (Houbaropsis bengalensis)

21. The grey headed fish eagle is a fish eating bird of prey from south east Asia. It is a large stocky raptor having dark brown upper body, grey head and lighter underbelly and white legs. grey-headed fish eagle  (Haliaeetus ichthyaetus)

22. This bird mainly breeds in India and Sri lanka. it is a medium large raptor at about 60-70 cm in length with a 127-138 cm wingspan. Normally brown above, white below the undersides of the flight feathers and tail. Males are about 15 cm smaller than females. crested hawk-eagle  (Nisaetus cirrhatus)  

23. Alaxandrine parrot is named after Alaxander the great, who transported numerous birds from Punjab to various parts European and Mediterranean countries. They are 56-62 cm long, weighing about 200-300 g. The tail is 28-35 cm long . It is generally green with light blue-grey sheen on cheeks and nape, yellow-green abdomen and red beak.  Alexandrine parakeet  (Psittacula eupatria)

24. Kaziranga National Park protects as many as 325 avian species. Often the solitude of the forest is interrupted by the musical notes of the Hill Myna in the distant valleys and hills. Other birds include the Adjutant Stork, while other prominent species are the Fishing and Crested Eagle, Sultan Tit, Collared Bush Chat, White-capped Redstart, Yellow and Pied Wagtail, Indian Lorikeet, Red-Breasted Parakeet, Spotted Forktail and Blue Thrush, etc. Among the many water birds are large Cormorant, Lesser Whistling Teal, Bar-headed Goose, Merganser and Comb Duck.

25. FLORA Four main types of vegetation 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%.

26. ENDANGERED SPECIES Kaziranga National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It has the world’s largest population of One Horned Rhinoceros (Rhinoceros uncornis). It is also a natural habitat of many rare and endangered species including tiger (Panthera Tigris), Indian elephant (Elephas maximus), capped langur (Trachypithecus pileatus), leopard (Panthera pardus), water buffalo (Bubalus arnee), swamp deer (Cervus duvaucelii), hog deer (Axis porcinus), and many species of birds and reptiles.

27. ONE-HORNERD RHINO Illegal rhino horn trade has been the main reason one poaching. Other parts like its skin and nails are sold in high price in the market.

28. THREATS Trapping in a pit depends largely on the terrain and availability of grass to cover it; pits are dug out in such a way that a fallen animal has little room to manoeuvre with its head slightly above the pit, so that it is easy to saw off the horn. Electrocution is used where high voltage powerlines pass through or near a protected area, to which poachers hook a long, insulated rod connected to a wire, which is suspended above a rhino path. Poisoning by smearing zinc phosphide rat poison or pesticides on salt licks frequently used by rhinos is sometimes used. A noose, which cuts through the rhino's skin, kills it by strangulation.

29. TIGERS Kaziranga is the 2 nd largest tiger reserve in India. Tigers are generally hunted for their skin and bones, which are sold in very high price. There are only 104 tigers left in kaziranga.

30. THREATS Loss of habitat: The staggering growth in the human population throughout tiger range countries means less space for the tiger and the depletion of its prey forcing it into conflict with humans. Poaching: The demand for tiger parts as trophies, status symbols and as an ingredient in traditional Chinese medicine is driving the tiger to the brink of extinction

31. ELEPHANTS Poaching of elephants for ivory is a serious threat in some parts of Asia. Poaching of tuskers impacts on sex ratios that become highly female biased

32. THREATS Escalating poaching, or illegal killing, for the commercial trade in ivory and meat. Growing demands of exploding human populations and poverty. Increasing loss and fragmentation of natural habitats and lack of land-use planning. Rising conflict with humans over diminishing resource

33. WILD WATER BUFFALO Interbreeding, hunting and loss of floodplains are some reasons for its disappearance.

34. THREATS interbreeding with feral and domestic buffalo in and around protected areas; hunting, especially in Thailand, Cambodia, and Myanmar; habitat loss of floodplain areas due to conversion to agriculture and hydropower development; degradation of wetlands due to invasive species such as stem twiners and lianas diseases and parasites transmitted by domestic livestock interspecific competition for food and water between wild buffalo and domestic stock.

35. SWAMP DEER The swamp deer populations outside protected areas and seasonally migrating populations are threatened by poaching for antlers and meat, which are sold in local markets. 

36. THREATS poaching for antlers and meat, which are sold in local markets. 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, increasing siltation.

37. Presented by- Arindam Sarkar Roll no.- 15 Institute- ITI Guwahati Trade- C.O.P.A

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