Kaziranga: Reserved Forest in 1908, National Park in 1974, Tiger Reserve

Background

The Kaziranga National Park is one of the oldest wildlife conservancy reserves of India. It was first notified in 1905 and constituted as Reserved Forest in 1908 with an area of 228.825 Sq. Km. It was specially established for the conservation and protection of the Greater One Horned Rhinoceros (Rhinoceros Unicornis), whose number was estimated at twenty pairs then. Kaziranga was declared a Game Sanctuary in 1916 and opened to visitors in 1938. It was declared a Wildlife Sanctuary in 1950, and notified as Kaziranga National Park in 1974 under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, with an area of 429.93 Sq. Km., which has since been extended to 899 Sq. Km. The Kaziranga National park was declared a Tiger Reserve in the year 2007, after which it draws financial support under CSS Project Tiger, which is under the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA). The park has the river Brahmaputra on its north, and the Panbari Reserve Forest in Golaghat District is one of several notified forests in its vicinity.