40 Elephants, 17 SUVs: What Goes Into Counting Kaziranga’s Rhinos

Indian authorities are conducting a two-day census of its rhino population at the Kaziranga National Park.  

(Photo Courtesy: Anjana Dutta)

Indian authorities started a two-day rhinoceros census exercise in all ranges of the Kaziranga National Park on Monday, 26 March.

The UNESCO World Heritage site is home to two-third of world’s one-horned rhinos and a census is carried out every three years. More than 40 elephants and 17 SUVs are being used for the exercise.

More than 40 elephants are used for the census. 

The National Park has been divided into 74 compartments to conduct the census, with 300 government and NGO officials conducting the survey.

One-horned rhino spotted at the Kaziranga National Park. 

In the last survey in 2015, authorities counted 2,401 rhinos, reported BBC.

"We expect the rhino population will be increased in Kaziranga," Assam Environment Minister Pramila Rani Brahma to BBC.

Kaziranga National Park is home to the highest density of tigers among protected areas in the world, and was declared a Tiger Reserve in 2006.

Since 1905, Kaziranga has had great success in conserving and boosting their animal population. The government has given special power to the rangers at the national park to protect them from any harm – including killing poachers.

In 2015, park guards killed more poachers than poachers killed rhinos. According to BBC report, the park rangers were killing more than 20 people in a year. While, the poachers only managed to kill three rhinos this year as compared to seven in 2017.

For ease of conducting the census, the Kohora, Bagori and Burapahar ranges remained closed to visitors on 26 March, while 36 compartments of Jia Diffloo, the southern side, were covered.

The northern side will be covered on Tuesday, 27 March, but the Kohora, Bagori and Burapahar ranges will remain open for visitors, reported DNA.

(With inputs from DNA and BBC.)