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Waterfall nature

A WiLdLiFE

TRip TO nE indiA

(AssAm)

Greater one-horned rhinoceros (Ds)
By Ron Searle, Photography by Merl & Marty Arnot, David Shackelford, Pallav Pranjal, Rockjumper Birding Tours and Ron Searle

As part of the ancient landmass of Gondwanaland, also located in Assam, is 35km from
the nearest city, Tezpur, and is en route
the Indian sub-continent possesses an impressive to Bhutan. It hosts a vast number (for
its size) of Asian Elephants, has a bird
variety of wild mammals similar to much of those list of 374 species and is refuge for

the endangered White-winged Duck,
that have evolved in Africa. the only small remnant population
of this species in India (very sparsely
B hutan, a kingdom and 430km²) was established as a forest Asia). The Nameri NP has about 94%
distributed also in Bangladesh and sE

birding hotspot, is located in
reserve in 1908, a wildlife sanctuary
forest coverage – it has unfortunately
the foothills of the Eastern
continuous human/animal conflict.
Himalayas. To its south, it in 1950, and awarded World Heritage become an area of illegal logging and
site status by uNsECO in 1985. The
shares a border with Assam, a state of Brahmaputra River forms the northern 3 000 head of forest-encroaching cattle
NE India. I had booked a 20-day tour boundary of the reserve. Its extensive now graze in the reserve, resulting in
of Bhutan and there was the offer of a floodplain, surrounded by small the inevitable conflict between the
5-day pre-tour option to explore the pockets of lowland evergreen forest, elephants and the cattle owners. In
wildlife and birds of the National Parks stands of moist broadleaf woodland 2001 alone, 18 farmer deaths caused
of kaziranga and Nameri in Assam – to and expansive areas of grassland, by elephants occurred. The future
a birder, of course, this was irresistible. attracts an impressive list of birds and of this NP is accordingly threatened
mammals, the latter including two and therefore rather uncertain.
It is perhaps surprising that, in thirds of the world’s population of the
India, with its human population Greater One-horned Rhinoceros, Asian KAZiRAnGA np
of 1,3 billion, much of its wildlife Elephant, Bengal Tiger, Leopard, Asian My adventure commenced with an early
survives in various National Parks (NP) Wild Buffalo, rare swamp Deer, Hog Deer, afternoon flight from OR Tambo Airport
proclaimed specifically to conserve it. sloth Bear, Hoolock Gibbon (primate), to kolkata in India via Dubai and then a
Wild Boar and Ganges River Dolphins. connecting flight to Guwahati in Assam.
In Assam, (formerly an independent I arrived the following day at noon and
country), the kaziranga NP (covering The Nameri NP (covering 200km²), was met at the airport by a very friendly

28 Waterfall Issue 7 2020