Floods kill six rhinos in India national park13 hours ago By Meryl Sebastian , BBC News, Kochi ShareGetty Images The Kaziranga National Park is home to the world's largest population of one-horned rhinosMore than 130 wild animals, including at least six rare rhinos, have died in flooding at a national park in north-eastern India, officials say.
The Kaziranga National Park in Assam is experiencing its worst deluge in recent years.
In 2017, more than 350 animals died due to floods in the park and vehicle collisions during migration through animal corridors to the highlands.
Kaziranga is home to the world's largest population of one-horned rhinos, which were nearly extinct at the turn of the century.
Getty Images The Kaziranga National Park is home to a large variety of wild animal species
Floods kill six rhinos in India national park
13 hours ago By Meryl Sebastian , BBC News, Kochi Share
Getty Images The Kaziranga National Park is home to the world's largest population of one-horned rhinos
More than 130 wild animals, including at least six rare rhinos, have died in flooding at a national park in north-eastern India, officials say. The Kaziranga National Park in Assam is experiencing its worst deluge in recent years. The dead animals - many of whom died by drowning - include 117 hog deer, two sambar deer, a rhesus macaque and an otter. In 2017, more than 350 animals died due to floods in the park and vehicle collisions during migration through animal corridors to the highlands.
Getty Images More than two million people have been displaced by the floods in Assam this year
Officials say they have rescued 97 animals from flood waters - 25 of them are receiving medical care while 52 others have been released after treatment. Kaziranga is home to the world's largest population of one-horned rhinos, which were nearly extinct at the turn of the century. It's a Unesco World Heritage site, with over 2,400 one-horned rhinos. The park is also a tiger reserve and home to elephants, wild water buffalo and numerous bird species. The endangered South Asian dolphins are also found in the rivers that criss-cross the park. Last week, an 18-month-old rhino calf took shelter at a house in a village near the park and was rescued by the Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation, the Press Trust of India reported. Assam has been devastated by floods due to torrential rains, with major rivers in the state flowing above the danger level. This year's rains have inundated large parts of the park and submerged thousands of villages. More than 60 people have been killed and over two million people displaced in the deluge. There has been extensive damage to roads and other infrastructure, as well as loss of crops and livestock.
Getty Images The Kaziranga National Park is home to a large variety of wild animal species
