Kaziranga has seen rising water levels since August 20.
The floods in Assam have affected 8 lakh people, leaving 14 dead. About 1.5 lakh people have sought shelter in the 150 camps opened by the state government. But the challenges are substantially higher for forest guards at Assam's Kaziranga National Park. Not only are their camps inside the forest flooded, they also have to ensure the safety of the critically endangered one-horned rhino.
There are about 2,000 of the one-horned rhinos in Khaziranga, their only home in the world. Most of the rhinos moved to higher ground within the park to avoid the rising waters. This has brought them closer to human habitations, making even more vulnerable to poaching than they already are.
To make the job of protecting these rhinos even more difficult, over 20 forest camps, the backbone of all operations within the 480 sq km park, have been flooded. This is forcing the forest guards to take refuge in the ones that remain - which are few.
50-year-old Ranjit Deka has worked at the park's Bagori Range for the last 25 years as a guard. Over the years, the flooding has become part of his life, he says, adding, "When the floods come, we have to work day and night. Our aim is that the rhino should be saved at all cost. But it's very difficult to work in this terrain for 24 hours at a stretch."
The floods first struck the park last week, on August 20. Park authorities say an assessment of how many animals are dead can only be made once the flood waters recede. "The situation at Kaziranga becomes very difficult and it becomes a real challenge to protect the rhinos. We also have to take care of ourselves, which is a problem in itself," says SK Seal Sarma, Divisional Forest Officer Kaziranga.
The park administration says that many bridges and 'kuccha' roads may also been washed away inside the park, and a correct assessment will be made once the situation returns to normal.