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Kaziranga
National Park in Assam has to be the most beautiful and attractive
place you can choose to visit in north-eastern India. An UNESCO World
Heritage Site, Kaziranga's 470 sq kms of lush green flood plains is
home to some of the most fascinating wildlife in Asia.
The Burma Monsoon Forests of Kaziranga
lies in the flood plains of the mighty
Brahmaputra river at an altitude of 50
-80m
. The habitat consists primarily of tall, dense
grasslands interspersed with cane brakes, open woodlands,
interconnecting streams and numerous lakes or 'beels'. The
three primary types of vegetation are alluvial grasslands, tropical
wet semi-evergreen and evergreen forests.
The Park is
divided into four ranges. The Agoratoli range covers the eastern part
and covers woodland interspersed with grassland and water-bodies. The
Kohora range covers the central part and is the most easily accessible
from the range office at Kohora. The Baguri range covers the western
part of the Park and has the highest rhinoceros density. Burhapahar,
4th range, covers the first additional area attached to the Park.
Wet savanna grassland covers 65 - 70% of
Kaziranga. The grassland comprises of tall elephant-grass, chief
amongst which are Erianthus ravannae, Phragmites karka, Arundo donax,
Saccharum elephantinus, Saccharum arundinaceum, Imperata cylindrica
and Poinia ciliata. The forested portions consist of species such as
Bombax ceiba, Albizzia odorotissima, Carreya arborea, Lagerstromia
parviflora, Dillenia pentagyna and Zizyphus jujuba.
Everything about Kaziranga is large. From
5 meter tall elephant-grass to Greater Adjutants, Bengal Floricans,
Pallas's Fish Eagle, Black-necked Storks, Greater One-horned
Rhinoceros and Asian Elephants, size dominates the vast grasslands.
The rarity and restricted range of most of these giants adds to the
excitement and experience.
Birds:
Kaziranga is a birding paradise with a checklist of almost 500
species. Key species include Swamp Francolin, Pale-capped Pigeon,
Bengal Florican, Great and Wreathed Hornbill, Jerdon's Baza,
Slender-billed Vulture, Pallas’s Fishing Eagle , Greater Spotted
Eagle, Imperial Eagle, Pied Harrier, Pied Falconet, Oriental Hobby,
Black-necked Stork, Greater Adjutant, Hodgson’s Bushchat, White-vented
Myna, Rufous-vented Prinia , Marsh Babbler, Jerdon’s Babbler,
Black-breasted Parrotbill and Finn’s Weaver . There is a breeding
colony of Spot-billed Pelicans near Koladuar in the Agoratoli area.
Mammals and reptiles:
Kaziranga is popularly known as the home of the "Big Five" - the
elephant, rhinoceros, wild buffalo, tiger and Swamp Deer. A total of
52 mammalian species has been recorded in the Park itself and include
such rarities like Gangetic Dolphin, Chinese Pangolin, Hoolock Gibbon,
Hog-Badger and Parti-coloured Flying Squirrel. 39 reptiles make the
list and include the endangered Gharial and the rare Assam Roofed
Turtle. Both the Reticulated and Rock Pythons occur in the area.
Situated between 90-96 degree East Longitute and 24-28 degree North Latitude, Assam is bordered in the North and East by the Kingdom of Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh. Along the south lies Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram. Meghalaya lies to her South-West, Bengal and Bangladesh to her West.
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