ECO-TOURISM4
Nature's splendour
SWARNA & S. RAMAKRISHNAN
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Kaziranga is an example of how an area can regain its natural vitality if given due protection.
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PHOTOS: S. RAMAKRISHNAN
WILDLIFE HAVEN: The Great Indian One-horned Rhinoceros
DOTTING the otherwise stark elephant grass landscape, they graze and wallow, blissfully unaware of the many human eyes staring at them. With their grey armoured plates on their muscular body they exude enormous toughness and strength. Next only to the elephant, the Great Indian One-horned Rhinoceros is a massive being of prehistoric times and watching them at Kaziranga National Park evokes awe, amazement and disbelief simultaneously. Our entry into the park was a few miles before its actual entrance, at Kanchanjhuri. Our Assamese driver stopped the car at a lookout point just off the highway and showed us four rhinos in a grassy area less than half a square kilometre. "This is Kaziranga for you sir!" he proudly exclaimed. And we instantly became Kaziranga fans.
Kaziranga, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, is one of the last and largest grassland areas in Eastern India, almost undisturbed by humans. Famous as the last refuge of the one-horned rhino, this 100-year-old protected area is also a haven for the eastern race of the swamp deer (Barasingha) and the wild water buffalos. Spread over 430 sq.km. on the southern bank of the mighty Brahmaputra, the park consists primarily of tall grasslands (growing up to five metres in height), interspersed with tropical evergreen and semi-evergreen forests. This riverine grassland's balance is regularly maintained by controlled fire by the Forest Department and also the annual floods of the Brahmaputra.
All the wildlife you want
What is truly extraordinary about Kaziranga is its spectacle of wildlife. In the appropriate season, one can see almost every wildlife species that the park is known for in just a two-hour jeep ride. Then there is the customary elephant ride. An hour's ride upon the pachyderm gets you up close to the rhinos. The short grasses adjoining the numerous small lakes or bheels are where one can see water buffalos, elephants, swamp deer, rhino and a myriad water birds and raptors. Birdwatchers from across the world come here to spot the rare and endangered swamp francolin, greater adjutant, Bengal Florican, the black-breasted Parrotbill, and many more.
The Pied Oriental Hornbill
We stayed at the popular Wild Grass Resort, where the staff understand the demanding needs of a serious wildlifer. Every group is assigned a knowledgeable guide and a jeep for its ventures into the park. Our young and enthusiastic guide for four days — Jhintu — not only knew the local terrain but also helped interpret the sights and sounds of the jungle.
Our sojourn into this famed reserve started with jeep rides into the popular central range. The park is divided into three divisions — central, east and west. While the western range is mostly grassland, the Eastern rang is a birder's paradise. Central is famous for its tiger sightings. We did get to see numerous rhinos, buffaloes and barasingha en route. The birds, however, were the reason we were in Kaziranga. The place is known to have over 450 species of birds and our objective was to sight some of the rarer ones. Our very first trip yielded views of the strikingly handsome Khaleej pheasant, the brown crake and the hard to spot swamp francolin. The skies were busy, dotted with parakeets, starlings, teals, geese, green pigeons and storks. In the eastern range we were extremely lucky to encounter a large family of elephants bathing in a bheel. Then there were the Great Hornbills! A small party of these large birds, well over four feet in size with their enormous glistening yellow bills, were easy to spot while in flight, even though a kilometre away from us. It's smaller yet beautiful cousin, the Pied Oriental Hornbills were quite common around the park.
Rare sighting
We later explored the nearby Panbari Reserve Forest to spot India's only ape — the endangered Hoolock Gibbon. Entering the thick yet degraded jungle we heard the tail-less ape's loud and booming morning calls. These ritual calls last for over an hour giving the Hoolock its name. We carefully followed the calls and sighted a single male high up in the canopy. Restless and frantic he did not give any photo opportunities. But, just seeing one in the wild kindles our hope that not all is lost as yet. Our walk in Panbari also rewarded us with views of the pygmy blue flycatcher, the grey-bellied tesia, striped tit babbler, and white-throated bulbul.
A family of elephants
Another must-do for the keen birder is a morning walk inside the tea garden just behind the resort. We were pleasantly surprised to see the rare oriental hobby (a bird of prey) perched atop a tree finishing its breakfast. There were more specialties in store for us. We chased the white-browed scimitar babbler, green magpie, greater & lesser necklaced laughing thrushes and a host of other little ones. The whole exercise was tiring yet hugely rewarding.
Kaziranga stands out among the overall dismal picture presented by India's protected areas. While Kaziranga has its share of problems like many other parks, it is an example of how an area can regain its natural splendour if given due protection. A rare success story of natural wealth restored to life from wreckage, to become the last and only stronghold of the endangered Great Indian One-horned Rhinoceros.
The nearest airport is Jorhat (97 km).
One could also get to Kaziranga from Guwahati (218 km).
The nearest railway station is Furkating (75 km).
The park headquarters and the main tourist centre is Kohora
The Assam Tourism and Forest Department runs several lodges near Kohora. Amongst the private ones, Wild Grass Resort and Bonabi are popular.
Factfile
The nearest airport is
Jorhat (97 km).
One could also get to Kaziranga from Guwahati (218 km).
The nearest railway station is Furkating (75 km).
The park headquarters and the main tourist centre is Kohora
The Assam Tourism and Forest Department runs several lodges near Kohora. Amongst the private ones, Wild Grass Resort and Bonabi are popular.
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