WILD TRAILS IN INDIA

K!"#$!%&! NP | A''!(
Notified a wildlife sanctuary in 1940, the
Kaziranga National Park, situated in Nagaon
and Golaghat districts of Assam, lies at
the foot of the Mikir hills. Located on the
floodplains on both sides of the Brahmaputra,
the park lies at the cusp of the Indo-Malayan
biological realm. Patches of mixed deciduous
forests are interspersed with vast stretches of
savannah grasslands, wetlands and chars or
river islands formed by the shi! ing course of
the Brahmaputra.

Kaziranga boasts of the largest population of

one-horned rhinoceros. Its dense forests have
not only protected these mammals who are
poached for their horns, but has also become
a safe haven for other animals. As early as in
1908, Kaziranga was declared a reserve forest
and hunting was banned here, and it was listed
as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985.

The park entrances are located just o the

National Highway (NH-37) that cuts right
through the Kaziranga National Park,
connecting Guwahati with Jorhat.

54