Kaziranga National Park: Assam

• 12 Aug 2021

Why in News

Kaziranga has become the first in the country to use satellite phones, which are generally used by the law-enforcing agencies.

• The satellite phones will give an edge to the forest personnel over the poachers and also during emergencies like floods.
• The public is barred from using satellite phones in India. Satellite phones can connect from anywhere as they are directly connected to satellites around the world and do not depend on terrestrial mobile networks, as cellphones do.

Key Points

• Location:
  
  • It is located in the State of Assam and covers 42,996 Hectare (ha). It is the single largest undisturbed and representative area in the Brahmaputra Valley floodplain.
• Legal Status:
  
  • It was declared as a National Park in 1974.
  • It has been declared a Tiger Reserve since 2007. It has a total tiger reserve area of 1,030 sq km with a core area of 430 sq. km.
• International Status:
  
  • It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985.
  • It is recognized as An Important Bird Area by Bird Life International.
• Biodiversity:
  
  • It is the home of the world's most one-horned rhinos.
    
    • Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary has the highest density of one-horned rhinos in the world and second highest number of Rhinos in Assam after Kaziranga National Park.
  • Much of the focus of conservation efforts in Kaziranga are focused on the 'big four' species— Rhino, Elephant, Royal Bengal Tiger and Asiatic water buffalo.
    
    • The 2018 census had yielded 2,413 rhinos and approximately 1,100 elephants.
    • As per the figures of tiger census conducted in 2014, Kaziranga had an estimated 103 tigers, the third highest population in India after Jim Corbett National Park (215) in Uttarakhand and Bandipur National Park (120) in Karnataka.
  • Kaziranga is also home to 9 of the 14 species of primates found in the Indian subcontinent.
• The park has more than 250 seasonal water bodies, besides the Diphlu River running through it.
• Other National Parks in Assam are:
  
  • Manas National Park,
  • Dibru-Saikhowa National Park,
  • Nameri National Park,
  • Rajiv Gandhi Orang National Park.
  • Dehing Patkai National Park.
  • Raimona National Park.

Source: TH