Orang National Park: Assam’s lesser-known ‘mini Kaziranga’ where Rhinoceros thrive

Orang National Park: Assam’s lesser-known ‘mini Kaziranga’ where Rhinoceros thrive

New Delhi: Assam is known for its Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve which is famous for being the home to two-thirds of the Indian rhinoceroses in the world. While the UNESCO Heritage Site hogs most of the limelight for obvious reasons, there is another wildlife sanctuary in Assam which is also rich in biodiversity but does not get as much attention as the Kaziranga. To those uninitiated, we are talking about the Orang National Park in Assam. In this article, we will learn more about this wildlife sanctuary.

Orang National Park: Assam’s lesser-known gem

Orang National park is Assam’s oldest game reserve and is located on the northern bank of river Brahmaputra. It covers an area of 78.80 sq. kms and it is an important breeding ground for varieties of fishes. The national park is located in Assam’s Darrang and Sonitpur districts and is rich in flora and fauna, including great Indian rhinoceros, Asian elephant, pygmy hog, the Bengal tiger and wild water buffalo. While Kaziranga is known as the stronghold of rhinoceros in Assam, Orang is their only home on the north bank of the Brahmaputra.

When did Orang National Park become a national park?

The region of the Orang National Park had been inhabited since a long time and local tribes used to live there till 1900, after which they had to leave the area due to an epidemic disease. In 1919, the British authorities made it Orang Game Reserve. In 1985, it became a wildlife sanctuary and it was renamed in 1992 as the Rajiv Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary but it was undone due to public pressure. On April 13, 1999, it became a national park.

A mini Kaziranga National Park

Orang National Park is bordered by the Belsiri river, Dhansiri river and Pachnoi river which join the Brahmaputra. During monsoon, the park becomes a veritable flood plain. Notably, the Orang National Park is also known as the mini Kaziranga National Park since both have a similar landscape made up of marshes, streams and grasslands and are inhabited by the Great Indian One-Horned Rhinoceros.

What kind of animals can you see in Orang National Park?

The Orang National Park is home to many mammalian species. Apart from the Great Indian One-Horned Rhinoceros, it has the Royal Bengal Tiger, Maljuria Elephants (male elephants in group), Wild Pig, Hog Deer, Porcupine, Gangetic Dolphin and Civet Cat. Also, other animals like otter, leopard cat, fishing cat, and jungle cat are also found. Also, there are over 50 species of fish in the park.

When it comes to birds, the park has been listed by BirdLife International as one of the “Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas” and various migratory birds, water birds, predators, scavengers and game birds call the national park their home. There are 222 species of birds in the park including White Pelican, Spot Billed Pelican, Greater Adjutant Stork, Lesser Adjutant Stork, Pintail Duck and Brahminy Duck. The park is also one of the places where the Bengal Florican can be seen. The bird is listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List.

 Orang National Park, Assam’s oldest game reserve, is a biodiversity hotspot often overshadowed by Kaziranga. Located on the Brahmaputra’s north bank, it’s home to the Great Indian rhinoceros, Bengal tigers, elephants, and diverse birdlife.   knowledge Knowledge News, Photos and Videos on General Knowledge