Remembering Kaziranga National Park on World Rhino Day

World Rhino Day is celebrated every year on September 22. Rhinos are an important part of the ecosystem. Without them, other species would be negatively affected. When we think about rhinos in India, we are reminded of the Kaziranga National Park. It is located in the Golaghat and Nagaon districts of Assam. 

The Kaziranga National Park is known globally for protecting the Indian one-horned rhinoceros. Today, the national park has more than 2,600 rhinos, which make up 70% of the world’s rhinoceros population. 

The global number of rhinos had reduced to 200 in the early 20th century, due to hunting for sport or being killed as agricultural pests. The species of rhinos were declared endangered in 1975. The Kaziranga National Park helped raise the population of rhinos and saved them from going extinct. 

The history of Kaziranga National Park dates back to before India’s Independence. Baroness Curzon, the wife of Lord Curzon, the then viceroy of India visited Kaziranga in 1904. Even though there were many rhinos in Kaziranga during that time, she could not see any. She could only see the hoof marks or footprints of the rhinos. It is rumoured that the famous Assamese animal tracker, Balaram Hazarika, suggested the need for wildlife conservation for rhinos at Kaziranga. Baroness Curzon brought it up to Lord Curzon, who carried out the idea. In 1905, the Kaziranga Reserve Forest was created. 

UNESCO declared the national park to be a World Heritage Site in 1985. The national park was declared a Tiger Reserve in 2008.