With this, the total number of national parks in Assam has risen to five, the other four being Kaziranga, Manas, Nameri and Dibru-Saikhowa.

Covering an area of 78 sq kms, the Orang National Park is, in fact, a miniature Kaziranga. Situated on the north bank of the river Brahmaputra in Darrang district, Orang is home to barking deer, sambar, leopard, elephants, tiger, florican, green pigeon, teal, wild geese and several other species of water birds.

Officials in the State Forest Department here said the declaration of Orang as a national park would not only bring this rhino reserve to national focus but would also attract funding as well as tourists.

Meanwhile, Bibhav Kumar Talukdar, a leading naturalist and conservation activist, welcoming the Government's decision, said what Orang immediately neededwas more manpower as well as communication facilities.

Talukdar's Aranyak Nature Club has recently donated ten solar panels to Orang at a cost of Rs 1.2 lakh, while next week it is arranging ten walkie-talkie sets for the newly-declared national park at a cost of Rs 1.6 lakh.

"There is a shortage of manpower in Orang to the tune of 25 per cent, while it is encouraging that more and more NGOs are coming forward to help the authorities improve facilities for preserving and developing the sanctuary," Talukdar added.

It is pertinent to mention that the total rhino population in Assam has crossed the 1700-mark, with the Kaziranga National Park alone registering 1,600 rhinos during the last census carried out last week. Of the 700 rhinos, Orang has fifty.