TIGER PREDATION OF RHINO CALVES AT KAZIRANGA NATIONAL PARK, ASSAM

摘要

Kaziranga National Park in Assam, covering an area of 473.71 km~2, lies between latitudes 26°30′ and 26°45′ N and longitudes 93°40′ and 93°50′ E. Kaziranga was notified first as a reserved forest in 1908, with an area of 228.83 km~2, and later declared a game reserve in 1916, with an area of 277.65 km~2. In 1950, Kaziranga was declared a wildlife sanctuary and in 1974 it was finally upgraded to a national park with a total area of 429.93 km~2. Kaziranga National Park is one of the key areas for the conservation of the endangered Great Indian one-horned rhino (Rhinoceros unicornis), along with other threatened species such as the Royal Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris) and the Asian elephant (Elephas maximus). The current status of the rhino in Kaziranga National Park and other rhino-bearing areas, along with the threats from poachers, has been described by Talukdar (2000).