Kaziranga National Park resumes elephant safaris after Covid shutdown

The Kaziranga National Park, a World Heritage Site, reopened on October 21, part of a wider easing of lockdown restrictions imposed to curb the spread of the virus.

Elephant safaris have resumed at a famous national park in India’s northeastern state of Assam, seven months after being forced to shut by the Covid-19 pandemic. The Kaziranga National Park, a World Heritage Site, reopened on Oct. 21, part of a wider easing of lockdown restrictions imposed to curb the spread of the virus. From Nov. 1, 37 tourists at a time are allowed to move around the park on the elephants while adhering strictly to Covid-19 safety protocols.

Forest officials, along with elephant trainers who are known locally as ‘mahouts’, performed a small ceremony on Sunday before the resumption of the safaris.

A local priest, in a Hindu blessing, smeared vermillion on the forehead of the elephants as they prepared to receive their first riders after a long gap.

The first batch of tourists then enjoyed a one-hour ride through the forest, which is best known for the endangered one-horned Indian rhinoceros and is also home to a significant population of tigers, bison, swamp deer and leopards.

India on Monday reported 46,441 new Covid-19 infections, federal health data showed, less than half of a peak hit in September.

(This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.)