Blog Details

•  Author : Adeeb Sahil
• Date : August 22, 2025

Kaziranga National Park

Kaziranga safari booking

Kaziranga National Park is one of the most popular wildlife parks in India. It is protected by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, and a lot of Kaziranga safari bookings are made every year. According to the most recent count done by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), there are now 148 tigers in Kaziranga Park. This is a very high number. In fact, Kaziranga is now one of the places with the highest number of tigers per square kilometer.

This news is good for many people who care about wildlife. It shows that tiger conservation in Kaziranga Park is working. However, some scientists and experts are also worried. They say that having too many tigers in one area can cause new problems for the environment and other animals.

We will talk about these issues here. We will try to understand why some people say this growth in the tiger population is not all good news. We will also explain what changes are needed to keep Kaziranga National Park safe for both tigers and other animals.

How Many Tigers And How Much Food Do They Need

Tigers are big, meat-eating animals. They need to eat a lot of food to survive. About 4,000 kilograms of meat is consumed by one tiger every year. If we multiply that by 148 tigers, it comes to around 588,000 kilograms of meat every year.

Most of the time, tigers in Kaziranga hunt animals like hog deer. A hog deer usually weighs around 25 kilograms. So, to feed 148 tigers, the park would need around 23,000 hog deer every year.

The last time scientists counted hog deer in Kaziranga, they found about 40,000 of them. This means more than half of these deer could be eaten by tigers in just one year. If this continues every year, the number of hog deer may go down very fast. This is a big concern.

If the prey animals disappear, the tigers will have no food. This will affect the entire food chain in Kaziranga National Park. So, the problem is not just about the number of animals. It is about keeping a balance so that all animals can live properly.

Can Tigers Survive By Eating Dead Animals?

Some people think that tigers in Kaziranga Park not only hunt live animals. They say that many big animals like rhinos, elephants, & wild buffalo die naturally during floods. Their dead bodies, called carcasses, stay in the park. Tigers can eat these carcasses.

Tigers are known to eat dead animals when they find them. It saves them energy because they do not have to hunt. In some cases, people have seen more than one tiger eating from the same dead rhino for a few days.

But this idea also has problems. Experts say there is not enough proper research to prove that tigers regularly eat dead animals in large amounts. There is no clear data to show how many such carcasses are available, how often they are found, or how many tigers eat from them.

So, without more research and real field studies, we cannot say for sure that this is a big part of the tiger diet in Kaziranga National Park. We need more facts before we can depend on this idea.

Tigers Are Staying In One Area

Another issue is that many tigers are living in one small part of the park. This area is called the Mihimukh–Daflang–Baruntika zone. This part of Kaziranga has many tourists, and sometimes, leftover food waste is found there. This waste attracts herbivores like deer, which then attracts tigers.

This means that many tigers are staying in the same place instead of spreading across the whole park. This is not good. When many tigers live in a small area, they fight for food, land, and mates. This causes stress and fights between them.

Too many tigers in one place can also spread diseases more easily. Also, they may eat too many prey animals from that one area, which is bad for the environment.

Tigers need space to move around freely. It is unnatural for tigers to stay in one spot for an extended period of time. It causes additional problems over time.

Golden Tigers And Inbreeding

Some special tigers, called golden tigers, have been seen in Kaziranga National Park. They have a different fur color. They are rare, and many people find them interesting. But scientists say that golden tigers are born because of a special genetic condition, often caused by inbreeding.

Inbreeding happens when animals from the same family have babies. This can lead to health problems in the next generation. Experts have seen some tigers in Kaziranga with problems like misaligned jaws and deformed ears. These problems show that the genetic health of the tigers may be getting weaker.

So, while golden tigers look beautiful, they might be a warning sign. They show that there is not enough new genetic material in the tiger population. This can make the whole population weak over time.

Kaziranga Is Now Isolated

Kaziranga National Park was earlier linked to nearby forests like Mikir Hills, Karbi Anglong, and areas near Nagaland. Tigers and other animals could move between these places. Now, roads, tea gardens, and villages have blocked these routes. Kaziranga National Park is now surrounded by human land, so animals cannot move freely.

This is not good for tigers. They cannot mix with other groups, which causes less genetic mixing and more inbreeding. Also, too many tigers in one place creates stress on food and space. Earlier, natural movement helped manage these problems. That movement is now missing.

What Experts Want To Be Done

Experts on tigers and Kaziranga National Park say important work must be done soon.

• First, the park should check the number and health of prey animals in every season.
• Second, researchers need to study tiger habits, like what they eat, how often they hunt, and whether they eat dead animals.
• Third, scientists should test tiger genes regularly to avoid inbreeding problems.
• Fourth, tourist waste must be controlled because it affects animal behavior.
• Fifth, the old forest paths (corridors) must be restored so tigers and other animals can move to other forests. This helps reduce stress and keeps genes healthy.

Kaziranga National Park should be a safe, natural place for tigers for many years. People making a Kaziranga safari booking should learn about these issues. They should choose tour operators who follow park rules & care for nature. Tourism must support, not harm, the animals and the park.