A one-horned rhinoceros at Kaziranga. Photo: Subharnab Majumdar/Flickr (CC BY 2.0)
Guwahati: The population of one-horned rhinoceros at the Kaziranga National Park has registered an increase of 200, taking the total to 2,613, an official said on Tuesday.
The four-day rhino census recorded 903 females, 750 males and 170 of undetermined sex in the adult category (above six years). In the sub-adult category of three to six years, 146 females, 116 males and 103 whose sex could not be determined were found.
The park’s director Jatindra Sarma said 279 rhinos in the juvenile category (one to three years) and 146 calves (less than one year) were also recorded.
During the last census in 2018, 2,413 rhinos were recorded.
The census was conducted from March 25 to 28, the official said.
Altogether, 64 enumerators, 12 independent observers and 49 media observers participated in the exercise, he said.
Fifty elephants were deployed to cover all 84 compartments of the park and its additional areas, while 252 frontline staff were directly involved in the exercise, Sarma said.
Drones were used for sample recheck and GPS devices were provided to the enumerators for better observation, he said.
A rhino census was also conducted in the Orang National Park and Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary. These habitats also recorded an increase in the population of rhinos.
In Orang, 125 rhinos were recorded as against 101 in 2018, while in Pobitora, 107 rhinos were counted as against 102 during the previous census.
The census at Manas National Park found 48 rhinos in April 2021.