Horn Of Plenty

Not everyone is in the mood to celebrate. Says a senior government official: "We haven't saved the rhino as a species, we only saved it in Kaziranga." Originally, four other protected sites in Assam housed good rhino populations: Orang, Laokhawa, Pabitora and Manas (also a UNESCO World Heritage Site). All are devastated. The year 1983 was annus horribilis, in Laokhawa: 56 rhinos were killed in six weeks. By the '90s Orang's population had halved to 40 and Pabitora is too small to hold its 50-odd rhinos.

The worst off is Manas National Park, where the rhino was wiped out by the '90s after Bodo insurgents moved into the park and the army pursued. Since '92, UNESCO listed it as a Site in Danger, with park damage estimated at $2 million. "Kaziranga is our only safe deposit locker, where we are guarding the rhino as a treasure," says Vivek Menon, member of the Asian Rhino Specialist Group. Moreover, "KNP can support a maximum of 2,000 rhinos," says N.K. Vasu. The only hope lies in relocation to neighbouring Dibru-Saikhowa.

Kaziranga is likened to Noah's Ark. Besides being the rhino's largest home, it houses a genetically pure population of wild buffalo; the highest density of tigers in India; and 23 globally-threatened species. It's also a refuge for 500 bird species, like the endangered Bengal florican and Great Indian hornbill, making it a richer bird paradise than Bharatpur.

No wonder, Pradyut Bordoloi, minister of forests and environment, Assam, wants to project Kaziranga as a "mega biodiversity hotspot, with the rhino as the usp". Last year, young wildlife biologist Firoz Ahmed recorded the first wild population of the Black Soft Shell Turtle in KNP. As part of Aaranyak, a Guwahati-based society for biodiversity conservation, Ahmed's recent survey indicating the presence of 100 reptile and amphibian species in KNP is more good news.

Kaziranga is part of the eastern Himalayan ecological theatre, where the mighty Brahmaputra destroys and creates new riverine islands. This means Kaziranga's boundaries are dictated by the 'shifting of rivers'. "As the river moves, so will Kaziranga," says Vasu. But will the government too move its boundaries?

"Preserving this ecological integrity of Kaziranga is the challenge," says Banks, referring to the coexistence of forests and grasslands, wetlands and woodlands, hills and plains unique to Kaziranga. If this happens, the future looks good. As for the rhinos, if there's enough grass and peace in the Northeast, these heavyweights will be around for the next centenary party.