Kaziranga National Park - India's grassland kingdom

@EarthFocusImages
This video highlights the wildlife of Kaziranga National Park. Established initially as a Forest Reserve in 1908, Kaziranga National Park is about 380 km2 and is home to two-thirds of the world's greater one-horned rhinoceros (Indian rhino) population. The park is in India's State of Assam, at a crossroads of nations, nestled between Bhutan, Bangladesh, China, and Myanmar. Bordered to the north by the mighty Brahmaputra River that flows from the Himalayan Mountains, Kaziranga National Park exists because it floods every year during monsoon season, depositing nutrients that support rich grasslands, marshes, and tropical broadleaf forests. It is home to diverse wildlife, including about 2400 rhinos, 1200 elephants, 100 tigers, and 475 species of birds. Their future depends on one of the most ambitious anti-poaching programs of any national park. It also depends on the protection of additional area to south south, the Karbi Anglong hills, which provide higher ground for wildlife to escape the annual floods and an extension of habitat. Those lands are important because the region is also home to many villages and high human densities. Protecting wildlife while also safeguarding the livelihoods of local people is a precarious balance.

We also visit Hoollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary, about 75 km east of Kaziranga. This reserve protects a small patch of evergreen tropical forest home to a population of the endangered Western Hoolock Gibbon, the only species of ape in India. The area is rich in biodiversity but is completely surrounded by tea plantations and villages. The gibbon's haunting song seems to accentuate their isolation.

Tips for visiting Kaziranga National Park: the town of Kohora has excellent lodging options (we recommend Wild Grass Jungle Lodge) and is a 5.5-hour drive from Guwahati airport. Entry into the national park requires a certified guide and various open-jeep safaris can be arranged. By planning your travel with local guides and lodges, you help build support for conservation.
---------------------------------------
Photography: Frank TvM

Copyright 2020 - Turtle Creek Productions

Видео Kaziranga National Park - India's grassland kingdom канала EarthFocus Images