Six more wildlife deaths reported from Assam’s Kaziranga; death toll rises to 17

Deaths of 11 hog deer, one rhino calf, otter, jungle cat and two scops owls have been confirmed so far by the authorities

At least six more wild animals drowned in Assam’s Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve taking the total death toll to 17 on Thursday, officials said.

According to the director of the park, most of them were drowning cases. (HT photo)

According to the director of the park, most of them were drowning cases.

As many as 11 hog deer died due to drowning, five hog deer died during treatment while one otter pup died due to other causes.

“Five of the 11 hog deer died during treatment,” officials said.

The forest officials have rescued 72 wild animals in the past four days including 63 hog deer, one Indian Hare, two otter puppies, one rhino calf, two sambar, one jungle cat and scops owl.

26 of them are under treatment while 29 have been released into safe areas.

Due to the overflowing Brahmaputra river, almost 80% of the park was inundated this year with a large number of animals being shifted to higher areas including the highway nearby the park.

Officials at Kaziranga said they continue to rescue the displaced animals.

“In the BWD area of Kaziranga, distressed animals often leave the forests for nearby villages, seeking shelter. Sadly, they face threats like dog bites and harm from ill-intentioned individuals. We urge locals to report sightings and help protect our precious wildlife”, Kaziranga National Park & Tiger Reserve posted on its official X (formerly Twitter) account.