Animal censuses in Kaziranga cost Rs 1.7 cr in 6 yrs: Assam forest minister

The Assam government has spent nearly Rs 1.7 crore on the census of various animals in Kaziranga National Park in the last six years, Environment and Forest Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary informed the assembly on Thursday.

Among the animals enumerated between 2016 to 2022 were the park's flagship one-horned rhinoceros, Royal Bengal Tigers, elephants and swamp deer, he said.

Replying to a written question by BJP legislator Bidya Sing Engleng, Patowary said a total of Rs 1,69,86,700 was spent on census activities during this period.

Of this, the highest expenditure of Rs 95.2 lakh was incurred in 2017, followed by Rs 34.78 lakh in 2022 and Rs 30.63 lakh in 2018.

The minister also said that in order to maintain transparency in the census process, representatives of non-governmental organisations associated with the department and other individuals were part of the exercise.

A total of Rs 26.78 lakh was spent on such representatives and individuals in 2018, 2020 and 2022.

The minister said that rhino census was carried out in 2018 and 2022, which led to the counting of 2,413 and 2,613 rhinos respectively.

A total of 104 tigers were counted in 2017, 108 in 2018, 121 tigers in 2019 and 124 this year.

The counting of elephants was conducted in 2017, which led to the enumeration of 1,089 pachyderms, while swamp deer census was done in 2016, during which 1,148 were counted, while 907 were counted in 2018 and 1,126 this year.

Patowary said other animals like water buffaloes and water birds in Kaziranga are also counted regularly.

A census of water birds this year found 126 species in the park, he added.