British royal couple go on a safari
Published: 13 Apr. 2016, 18:43
Dressed in cotton casuals and wearing local Assamese hand-woven gamochas, or scarves, around their necks, the British royal couple looked relaxed as they sat in the back of the open jeep driving through park during the hot and humid morning, local resident Ranjit Rajak said.
Prince William and his wife, the former Kate Middleton, spent several hours at the Kaziranga National Park in hopes of drawing attention to the plight of endangered animals, including the park’s 2,200-population of a rare, one-horned rhinos.
The animals are under threat from wildlife poachers and habitat loss. Already this year, six rhinos have been killed for their horns, after 20 were poached in 2015.
The royal couple was joined by a park official acting as a guide on a tour across dirt tracks, tall grasslands and thick evergreen forest.
They met a group of forest rangers and wildlife wardens at an anti-poaching camp inside the 480-square-kilometer (185-square-mile) reserve, which is also home to other endangered species including swamp deer and the Hoolock gibbon.
V.S. Bhaskar, a top Assam state government official, said the royal couple saw rhinos, wild boars, buffalos, hog deer and a variety of birds. “They enjoyed the trip quite a lot. They were very happy,” he said.
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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