The rhino census at the Kaziranga National Park in Assam’s Golaghat district began from Saturday (March 26). The census has been conducted by the Assam forest department.

The three-day-long rhino census is the 14th of its kind and will take place till March 28. This is the first rhino census in the national park since 2018.

As such the Eastern Assam Wildlife Division, Bokakhat has decided to close the national park for tourists during this period.

While morning elephant safari rides has been suspended from March 26 to 28, jeep safaris rides has been continued in a phased manner so as not to hamper the rhino census.

The census has been conducted in 48 compartments within the premises of the national park.

A total of 63 specialists have arrived in Kaziranga to carry out the rhino census.

According to reports, a team of officials of the state forest department, experts and volunteers have participated in the census.

As per the data released by the Assam Forest Department in 2018, the national park had 1,641 rhinos, of which 793 are females, 642 are males and 206 rhinos’ gender could not be ascertained.

The forest officials however, hope for an increase in the rhino population in this year’s census.

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