Kaziranga National Park's jeep safari season reopens on 1 October 2026, with elephant safaris following from 1 November, as the park heads into a new tourist season carrying a genuine conservation milestone: zero recorded rhino poaching incidents in 2025, part of a broader run of zero poaching years that Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma highlighted on World Rhino Day 2026. But even as the state celebrates that success, conservationists and a Supreme Court-appointed panel say illegal mining and construction continue to erode the very wildlife corridors that keep Kaziranga's ecosystem connected to the surrounding Karbi Anglong hills.
Background
Kaziranga, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Assam, is home to roughly 80% of the world's greater one-horned rhinoceros population, making it arguably the single most important site on the planet for the species' survival. That status has made rhino poaching the park's highest-profile conservation challenge for decades, driven by international demand for rhino horn. In response, Assam has built a multi-layered anti-poaching security system around Kaziranga — dedicated anti-poaching camps, drone surveillance and specialised protection teams — that has now delivered a run of zero-poaching years, most recently confirmed for 2025 and cited in the International Rhino Foundation's State of the Rhinos 2026 report.
Separately, but just as consequential for the park's long-term ecological health, Kaziranga depends on a set of designated wildlife corridors — nine of them, identified and protected under a 2019 Supreme Court order — that link the park to the adjoining Karbi Anglong hills. These corridors allow animals, most critically elephants, to move seasonally between the floodplain park and higher ground, a movement pattern that becomes essential during the annual monsoon floods that submerge large parts of Kaziranga. The Supreme Court's 2019 order banned mining along the park's southern boundary and prohibited new construction on private land within the nine identified corridors specifically to preserve this connectivity.
Key Details
- Safari reopening: Jeep safaris resume from 1 October 2026; elephant safaris resume from 1 November 2026, marking the start of the new tourist season after the monsoon closure.
- Poaching record: Assam recorded zero rhino poaching incidents in 2025, a milestone CM Himanta Biswa Sarma highlighted on World Rhino Day 2026, noting Assam's rhino population represents close to 80% of the world total.
- Corridor threat, historical: Conservationist Rohit Choudhury first petitioned over unregulated quarrying and mining around Kaziranga in 2012, documenting 60 illegal stone quarries at the time.
- Supreme Court order: In 2019, the Supreme Court banned mining along Kaziranga's southern boundary and barred new construction on private land within the nine identified animal corridors.
- Renewed violations, 2026: Choudhury has since petitioned the Supreme Court-appointed Central Empowered Committee (CEC) again in 2026, alleging illegal construction is taking place in two of the nine protected wildlife corridors, in violation of the 2019 order.
- Official confirmation: In a letter dated 3 March 2026 addressed to Assam's Chief Secretary, the CEC stated that mining and related activities were continuing in the Karbi Anglong hills despite the Supreme Court's directions, and asked the Assam government and the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC) to take matching preventive measures.
- According to Choudhury, mining activity in the area has "resumed on a large scale" even as the legal proceedings and CEC interventions continue.
At a Glance
| Issue | Status |
|---|---|
| Rhino poaching, 2025 | Zero recorded incidents (confirmed conservation success) |
| Assam's share of world's rhino population | ~80% |
| Jeep safari reopening | 1 October 2026 |
| Elephant safari reopening | 1 November 2026 |
| Wildlife corridors under Supreme Court protection | 9, since 2019 order |
| Corridors currently flagged for illegal construction (2026 petition) | 2 |
| CEC letter to Assam Chief Secretary on continued mining | 3 March 2026 |
Local Impact
For Assam's tourism sector, the reopening of jeep and elephant safaris arrives with a genuinely strong conservation story to tell visitors — a park that hosts 80% of the world's rhinos and has now gone poaching-free, a message the state government is actively promoting. Local guides, resort operators, transport providers and the broader tourism economy around Kaziranga's entry points typically see a significant seasonal uptick in activity once safaris reopen each October.
But the corridor mining issue carries a different, longer-horizon risk. If elephant and other wildlife movement between Kaziranga and the Karbi Anglong hills is progressively blocked by construction and quarrying, the park's ability to function as a viable ecosystem — rather than an isolated, fenced reserve — is threatened, particularly given how central that hill-corridor access is during monsoon flooding, when animals need higher ground to survive. For communities in the Karbi Anglong hills near the affected corridors, the mining activity itself may represent local livelihood and revenue, creating the same tension between economic activity and conservation enforcement that has made this a recurring, difficult-to-resolve issue since Choudhury's original 2012 petition.
What Happens Next
With the CEC having formally flagged continued mining to the Assam Chief Secretary in March 2026 and Choudhury's fresh 2026 petition alleging construction in two specific corridors, the matter remains under active Supreme Court panel oversight. Expect continued CEC correspondence with the state government and the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council pressing for enforcement action, alongside the possibility of further legal proceedings if violations are confirmed to be ongoing. Meanwhile, the park's tourist season proceeds on its normal calendar, with jeep safaris open from 1 October and elephant safaris from 1 November, independent of how the corridor enforcement issue is resolved.
Frequently Asked Questions
When do Kaziranga's safaris reopen for the 2026-27 season?
Jeep safaris reopen 1 October 2026, and elephant safaris reopen 1 November 2026.
Has Kaziranga really had zero rhino poaching?
Yes, according to state and conservation data — Assam recorded zero rhino poaching incidents in 2025, a milestone confirmed in the International Rhino Foundation's State of the Rhinos 2026 report and highlighted by Assam's Chief Minister on World Rhino Day 2026.
What share of the world's rhinos live in Assam?
Close to 80% of the world's greater one-horned rhino population, mostly concentrated in Kaziranga National Park.
What are Kaziranga's wildlife corridors, and why do they matter?
Nine designated corridors, protected under a 2019 Supreme Court order, that connect Kaziranga to the adjoining Karbi Anglong hills, allowing animals — especially elephants — to move to higher ground, which is critical during the annual monsoon floods that submerge much of the park.
What did the 2019 Supreme Court order say?
It banned mining along Kaziranga's southern boundary and prohibited new construction on private land within the nine identified wildlife corridors.
Is that order being violated?
Conservationist Rohit Choudhury petitioned the Supreme Court-appointed Central Empowered Committee in 2026 alleging illegal construction in two of the nine corridors, and the CEC itself wrote to Assam's Chief Secretary on 3 March 2026 confirming that mining activity was continuing in the Karbi Anglong hills despite the court's directions.
Who is Rohit Choudhury?
A conservationist and legal-rights activist who first petitioned over illegal quarrying and mining around Kaziranga in 2012, documenting 60 illegal stone quarries at the time, and who continues to monitor and legally challenge encroachment on the park's protected corridors.
What is the Central Empowered Committee (CEC)?
A Supreme Court-appointed panel that oversees compliance with the court's environmental and forest-protection orders, including the 2019 order protecting Kaziranga's wildlife corridors.
Sources
The Assam Tribune, Northeast Now, Deccan Herald, The Federal, and Punjab Kesari, with reference to the International Rhino Foundation's State of the Rhinos 2026 report.