Rising waters in India’s northeastern state of Assam have flooded parts of Kaziranga National Park and Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary, home to the world’s largest concentration of one-horned rhinos.
Local media reported 26 animals, including two rhinos, had drowned. More than 70 percent of the national park is under water, leaving rhinos, elephants, deer and other animals struggling to make it to higher ground.
The water is slowly receding, but the Assam forest department is having a hard time to keep animals safe and dry.
The Brahmaputra River, one of the largest rivers in the world which flows from Tibet into India and then into Bangladesh, burst its banks in Assam over the weekend, flooding more than 2,000 villages.
On Monday, heavy flooding triggered by monsoon rains forced more than a million people to flee their homes, authorities said. Assam, famous for its tea plantations, is hit by seasonal flooding each year.
Paramilitary personnel were deployed across the state for rescue operations and to ensure people maintain social distance in makeshift shelter camps to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, authorities said.
Source: Reuters
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