BITUPAN BORAH

Kaziranga, July 16, 2019

As floods continue to wreak havoc in Assam, a four-month-old female rhino was found dead in the Kohora range of Kaziranga National Park on July 16th, 2019. The body of the rhino was first spotted by forest guards who immediately intimated a veterinarian who rushed to the spot and after checking it, declared the rhino dead.

The veterinarian said, “The rhino was stranded in the flood for days and on July 16th, 2019 the rhino fell from a hill and got hit by a rock. As the injury the severe, the rhino died.”

It may be mentioned, the situation in Assam continues to remain grim as floodwaters have submerged 30 of the 33 districts in the state and nearly 43 lakh people have been affected. Around 95 per cent of the Kaziranga National Park has been flooded and a total of 17 wild animals have died till now.

The death toll till July 15th, 2019 increased to 15. NDRF and SDRF teams are continuously engaged in assisting the local administration in rescue and relief work.

Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat undertook an aerial survey in Upper Assam on July 16th, 2019.