Indian national parks devastated by flooding

The Indian state of Assam has been hit hard by flooding in the past week. In particular, the Kaziranga National Park is 90% submerged, which has resulted in mass deaths among the park’s animal population.

According to The Economic Times, nearly one hundred and fifty animals have died in the flooding, including an elephant and twelve rhinoceri.

The same flooding has killed thirty-seven people in the state, and caused major transportation difficulties by flooding highways. Highway troubles have in turn led to more animal deaths, with sixteen animals killed while trying to cross the NH 37 highway which passes through Kaziranga.

The most notable inhabitants of the park are the one-horned Indian rhinoceri, a species already heavily at risk and in whose interest the Kaziranga park was designated a World Heritage Site.

The population of these rhinos has been rebuilt from less than 400 to nearly 2500 in the period from 1966 to 2018.

Other at-risk species in the park include tigers and wild buffalo.

An incident on Thursday saw a tiger driven out of the park by flood waters and into a house near the highway, where it took possession of the locals’ bedroom.

Other national parks in the area, while also suffering flooding, have seen no casualties.