Page 18 - dpl 4.indd

nAture

a WilDliFe

TRiP To

ne inDia

(aSSaM)

by Ron SeaRle PhoTogRaPhy by MeRl & MaRTy aRnoT, DaViD ShaCkelFoRD,
PallaV PRanJal, RoCkJuMPeR biRDing TouRS anD Ron SeaRle

hutan, a kingdom and in 1950, and awarded World Heritage population of this species in India (very
birding hotspot, is located Site status by UNSECO in 1985. The sparsely distributed also in Bangladesh
in the foothills of the Brahmaputra River forms the northern and SE Asia). The Nameri NP has about
Eastern Himalayas. To its boundary of the reserve. Its extensive 94% forest coverage and has unfortunately
south, it shares a border floodplain, surrounded by small pockets of become an area of illegal logging and
bwith Assam, a state of lowland evergreen forest, stands of moist continuous human/animal conflict. Three
NE India. I had booked a 20-day tour of broadleaf woodland and expansive areas thousand head of forest-encroaching
Bhutan and there was the offer of a 5-day of grassland, attracts an impressive list of cattle now graze in the reserve, resulting
pre-tour option to explore the wildlife and birds and mammals, the latter including in the inevitable conflict between the
birds of the National Parks of Kaziranga two thirds of the world’s population of the elephants and the cattle owners. In
and Nameri in Assam – to a birder, of Greater One-horned Rhinoceros, Asian 2001 alone, 18 farmer deaths caused by
course, this was irresistible. Elephant, Bengal Tiger, Leopard, Asian elephants occurred. The future of this NP
Wild Buffalo, rare Swamp Deer, Hog Deer, is accordingly threatened and therefore
It is perhaps surprising that, in India, with Sloth Bear, Hoolock Gibbon (primate), Wild rather uncertain.
its human population of 1,3 billion, much Boar and Ganges River Dolphins.
of its wildlife survives in various National kaziRanga nP
2
Parks (NP) proclaimed specifically to The Nameri NP (covering 200km ), also My adventure commenced with an early
conserve it. located in Assam, is 35km from the nearest afternoon flight from OR Tambo Airport
city, Tezpur, and is en route to Bhutan. It to Kolkata in India via Dubai and then a
In Assam, (formerly an independent hosts a vast number (for its size) of Asian connecting flight to Guwahati in Assam.
country), the Kaziranga NP (covering Elephants, has a bird list of 374 species I arrived the following day at noon and was
2
430km ) was established as a forest and is refuge for the endangered White- met at the airport by a very friendly and
reserve in 1908, a wildlife sanctuary winged Duck, the only small remnant obliging agent, Inram Ali, who was to be
16
DPL