The escape of most animals from the flooded Kaziranga National Park (KNP) has made wildlife officials shift their focus on two lesser known forest reserves – Dolamara and Parkuppahar – in central Assam’s Karbi Anglong district. Every monsoon, floodwaters force rhinos, elephants and other animals out of Kaziranga to the hills of Karbi Anglong across National Highway 715 skirting KNP’s southern edge. Dolamara is the larger of the two forest reserves at an average elevation of 1,500 ft straddling about 1,000 sq km of the Karbi Anglong hills. “The state police chief has in response to our request made the superintendents of police of Karbi Anglong and adjoining districts help with security in the hills. A third of KNP’s 2,400 rhinos (2015 estimate) move to the safety of the Karbi Anglong hills during the monsoon.

Source: Hindustan Times July 13, 2017 11:49 UTC