Nagaon, July 9: In the devastating Assam floods, 137 wild animals, including six Rhinos, have died in the Assam flood at Kaziranga National Park, officials said. Meanwhile, the park authorities have managed to rescue 99 animals, including two Rhino calves, and two Elephant calves.
Sonali Ghosh, field director of Kaziranga National Park, said that 104 Hog Deer, 6 Rhinos, and 2 Sambar died after drowning in flood waters, while 2 Hog Deer died after a vehicle hit them, one Otter (pup) died due to other reasons, and 22 animals died under care.
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"So far we have rescued 99 animals including two rhinos, two elephants, 84 Hog Deer, 3 Swamp Deer, 2 Samber," Sonali Ghosh said. 70 forest camps out of 233 camps in the park are still underwater. The flood situation in Assam has turned grim, with six more people dying in Assam floods Monday, bringing the total death toll to 72 as of July 8, 2024.
Over 27.74 lakh people in 28 districts are still affected by the flood in the state. The flood affected districts are Goalpara, Nagaon, Nalbari, Kamrup, Morigaon, Dibrugarh, Sonitpur, Lakhimpur, South Salmara, Dhubri, Jorhat, Charaideo, Hojai, Karimganj, Sivasagar, Bongaigaon, Barpeta, Dhemaji, Hailakandi, Golaghat, Darrang, Biswanath, Cachar, Kamrup (M), Tinsukia, Karbi Anglong, Chirang, Karbi Anglong West, Majuli.
Rescue teams of the NDRF, SDRF, Fire & Emergency Services, local administration, Indian army, and paramilitary forces are all engaged in rescue operations in different areas of the state. The severe flood situation in Assam over the past month has resulted in the loss of life, extensive damage to infrastructure, road closures, crop destruction, and livestock loss. The deluge has also left hundreds of people homeless and unsettled.