The Hindu Business Line : Say hello to the rhino

Taking an elephant ride in the Kaziranga National Park in Assam to spot the great Indian one-horned rhinoceros is fun and an experience like no other.

The two-men team of professional filmmakers from Hyderabad wanted to get close-up video clips of a wild pachyderm in the jungles of Assam. After locating one in the expansive grasslands they got down from their vehicle and were getting closer inch by inch for a suitable angle. The mighty animal was looking right at them and it was a tense moment as they crept closer to their subject.

The armed guard accompanying the cinematographers had warned them not to venture any closer on foot. But without heeding to the warnings the cameramen stood their ground, and so did the huge one-horned rhinoceros. In a sudden fit of anger, the rhino moved and charged head on with vengeance that baffled the moviemakers. The armed guard quickly fired into the air in a desperate attempt to stop the enraged animal.

All the men took to their heels but unfortunately the guard lost his balance and tripped, falling on to the slippery ground. In the blink of an eye, the armour-plated rhino was on him before he could fire a second shot. Sharp incisors lacerated his cheeks and forehead.

Numerous stitches and seven months of hospitalisation and the guard was back in the thick of action... to protect the thousands of Indian and foreign visitors who throng the world famous Kaziranga National Park in Assam.

Apart from the persistent poachers and the ferocious annual floods, visiting tourists at the Park are the intruders in the private lives of the great Indian one-horned rhinos at Kaziranga. This sprawling and sterling sanctuary is capable of nurturing not only a sizeable number of rhinos, but also a large number of wild elephants, wild buffalos, wild boars and wild deer in its extensive spread of grasslands, wetlands and dense undergrowth. The park, given the status of a World Heritage Site in 1985, consists of shallow swamps created dramatically each year by the swollen Brahmaputra River. The present area of the protected park is nearly 500 sq km and plans are afoot to almost double the existing area and provide succour to the survival of endangered wildlife, particularly the rhinos.

The wet savannah jungle that stretches along the Brahmaputra, was initially earmarked about 100 years ago and it is still the best bet for the dwindling rhino species. Over the years, umpteen plans and projects have been undertaken to preserve this endangered animal from the brink of extinction. Last year, the number of rhinos lost to poaching was only six. Compared to past records, this is good news. Wildlife enthusiasts, and particularly rhino lovers, will be glad to know that Kaziranga grasslands today has 1,600 wild rhinos that roam at will. The Indian species of rhinos is the only one of the five existing in the world to truly have a handsome armour-plated like thick skin covering its massive body with many leathery folds. This gives the creature a formidable appearance.

To see this massive masculine marvel, akin to a dinosaur on short stump legs and armour plated like skin in the wild, I took a flight from Delhi to Guwahati. A four-hour drive on a fairly good 200-km road from Guwahati takes you to Koohora, the hub of Kaziranga National Park. Without losing much time one hired a vehicle, accompanied by a guide and gunman, and headed straight for the rhinoceros.

As a tourist in the national park, one was shown a wild rhino half submerged in water and feeding at leisure. A little away was another creature wallowing in the mud in a bid to shake free the fleas. As we went deeper into the park, a rhino was sighted alongside a wild buffalo, each ignoring the other, and busy munching lush grass in the marshlands. As the sun was slowly setting with a golden glow, the orb turned into various hues of pink and purple, a perfect twilight zone. In this part of the country, sunset and sunrise happens almost an hour earlier than the rest of Indian mainland. At the end of the day, our total count of rhinos was seven.

The next day was gloomy as there was a cold blanket of mist and it was difficult for the morning sun to penetrate the thick cloud cover. Long before dawn one was woken up as it was time to ride the elephant. We were taken to the elephant stable, where a high machan was in place for tourists to climb on to the elephant back. One enjoyed the luxury of having an entire elephant for oneself and also managed to get a bonus in the form of a second ride!

Ten tame elephants — big and small, male and female — accompanied by their little ones, took nearly 50 tourists for rhino viewing. For some strange reason, elephant rides are not conducted in the evening like it happens in Corbett National Park or Bandhavgarh National Park.

Sitting atop an elephant is fun and an experience like no other, because such a huge animal can move about in silence, while the mahout navigates its movements through the tall elephant grass in search of hidden rhinos. At first you are a trifle terrified of the close encounter with the tough looking rhinos, which do not want to budge. Once you overcome the fear, the experience of being at a touching distance of a wild rhino is delightful.

The two elephant rides gave one enough time and scope to look around at leisure. Rewards came in the form of sighting of seven adult rhinos and two young ones.

There were also wild buffalo herds chewing cud, large groups of alert swamp deer scampering about and plenty of water birds that put up a show for the camera-touting visitors. However, my most impressionable close encounter was when a large bull rhino suddenly appeared 50 metres in front of our vehicle. I stopped, got down and gingerly sitting on the ground aimed at him and as he looked at me in the eye, the great animal was shot through my long lens camera for posterity.

Fact file

How to get there

By air: The nearest preferred Airport is Guwahati, which is 240 km from Kaziranga. The nearest alternate airport is 95 km away at Jorhat.

Where to stay: There is a wide range of places, mostly run by the Tourism department viz. Aranya Lodge, Bonani Lodge, Bonoshree Lodge, Kunjaban Lodge. Private hotels like Wild Grass and others also provide good value for money.

When to visit: The park usually remains closed to visitors from the month of May to October. The best period for visiting the national Park is from November to April.

How to get around: Elephants, Jeeps and self-driven vehicles (only those that can negotiate rough terrain are permitted) to explore the Park. The reservation of these can be done at the forest office or hotels where one is staying. A guide and a gunman accompany the tour. Each route is demarcated and one is free to travel. Fees for entrance, vehicle hired, guide and video camera are charged separately. Booking trips to the Park by elephants is more problematic than finding accommodation, particularly during the peak season as elephants and jeeps are booked in advance.

Tips: Comfortable cottons in summers will suffice to keep you cool, but do carry water bottles during the jungle journey. For winters, ample woollen clothing is recommended to keep out the cold while travelling in the park.

Picture by the author

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