Kaziranga: As of Monday, Kaziranga National Park has reported the deaths of 131 wild animals, including six rhinos, due to floods in Assam, according to the park authorities.

Sonali Ghosh, the Field Director of Kaziranga National Park, confirmed that 131 wild animals have perished due to drowning in flood waters. Among the casualties are six rhinos, 100 hog deer, and two sambar. Additionally, 17 hog deer, one Swamp deer, one Rhesus Macaque, and one Otter (Pup) died while under care. Two hog deer were fatally struck by vehicles during the floods.

Amid the challenging flood conditions, efforts by park authorities and the forest department have led to the successful rescue of 97 wild animals.

Although there has been some improvement in the flood situation within the national park, 69 out of 233 forest camps remain submerged. Specifically, 22 forest camps in the Kaziranga range, 20 in the Bagori range, 14 in the Agratoli range, and 4 each in the Burapahar, Bokakhat, and Nagaon Wildlife Divisions are currently underwater. One camp in the Biswanath Wildlife Division is also affected.

Due to rising waters, authorities have evacuated four forest camps, including two each in the Kaziranga range and Bokakhat range.

Meanwhile, floods in Assam have intensified recently, claiming eight lives in the past 24 hours alone. This brings the total death toll from this year's floods to 66. The fatalities include two individuals each from Dhurbi and Nalbari districts, and one each from Cachar, Goalpara, Dhemaji, and Sivasagar districts.

The flood havoc continues to affect over 27.74 lakh people across 28 districts in Assam. Rescue operations are actively underway with teams from NDRF, SDRF, Fire & Emergency Services, and local administrations engaged in relief efforts in the flood-affected areas. ANI