India, Oct. 1 -- Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday hailed a new elevated highway corridor as a game-changer for safe wildlife passage in Kaziranga National Park.
But stark data paints a grim picture of ongoing vehicular carnage, with dozens of animals losing their lives annually to speeding traffic on the adjacent national highway.
Over the past five years (2020-2024), at least 82 large mammals including endangered hog deer, rhinos, and elephants have been killed in vehicle collisions near Kaziranga, according to environmental reports.
The toll peaked in 2022 with 22 deaths, followed by 14 during the 2024 floods alone, underscoring the urgent need for infrastructure like the proposed 34.45 km elevated secti...