Kaziranga National Park
How would you love to encounter the one-horned rhinoceros in its own habitat? Better still, how would you love to see terrestrial mammals such as panthers, bears, tigers, elephants as well as hundreds of thousands of birds? Well, head to the undisturbed Kaziranga National Park in Assam, India and you will find that even the second most populated country has room for a diverse wildlife – perhaps more diverse than Africa.
The park is located on the foot of the scenic Mikir Hills, on the Southern banks of the Brahmaputra River. It lies in the Brahmaputra flood plains, an area that is characterized by tall and dense grassland, a series of interconnected streams and small lakes, and open forests. This is an ecosystem that is ideal for the proliferation of herbivores. Where herbivores are, the carnivores are usually not too far.
About three quarters of the park area is submerged by flood waters from the Brahmaputra River annually. The ecosystem is features alluvial soils that are deposited from the Brahmaputra and its tributaries.
Vegetation
- Alluvial Inundated Grasslands – This vegetation is found predominantly in the west and features tall elephant grass, with the higher altitudes featuring some shorter grass. For thousands of years, the area has flooded every year.
- Tropical Wet Evergreen Forests – This vegetation is to be found in Panbari, Kanchanjhuri and Tamulipathar blocks. It is characterized with tall open forests.
- Tropical Semi Evergreen Forests – This vegetation is found in the Baguri, Haldibari and Bimali Blocks.
Fauna Species
- Mammals - The park is home to 15 endangered Indian mammal species. It takes the tag of being home to world’s largest population of Indian elephant and rhinoceros. Other mammals you are likely to encounter in the park include; leopard, sloth bear, Ganges dolphin, water buffalo, sambar, swamp deer, gaur, hog deer, langur and many more.
- Avifauna – The water bodies in the park are rich in food and thus attract thousands of migratory birds. About 100 species are endemic to the park. Among the birds you can expect to see her include; grey pelican rookery, black necked stork, adjutant stork, Bengal florican, silver breasted broadbill and many more.
- Reptiles – Expect to encounter common cobra, king cobra, Indian python and water monitor.
Make sure you make your visit to this UNESCO listed World Heritage Site and get to sample some Asian wildlife.
by Kennedy Runo on 05/05/2014 in Adventure