Sun Oct 05 05:58:38 UTC 2025: ## Kaziranga National Park Celebrates New Life and Welcomes Migratory Birds
**Guwahati, Assam – October 5, 2025** – Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve is celebrating a double dose of good news this week, with the birth of a baby elephant and the return of a migratory bird species.
A female elephant calf, named Mayabini, was born at the stroke of noon on October 4th to Kuwari, a long-serving elephant of the Assam Forest Department. The name “Mayabini” is a tribute to the late Zubeen Garg, a beloved Assamese cultural icon who passed away in Singapore on September 19th. The name is derived from one of his most popular songs, reflecting “new life, hope, and harmony in the wild,” according to Assam’s Forest Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary.
Kuwari has been a part of Kaziranga for nearly four decades and this is her second offspring. Director of the tiger reserve, Sonali Ghosh, highlighted Kuwari’s long service, stating, “Kuwari has been with Kaziranga since 1986.”
In other exciting news, the Kaziranga authorities have confirmed the sighting of the migratory painted stork (Mycteria leucocephala) within the park after a three-year absence. This wading bird, characterized by its striking plumage and long, yellow-orange bill, was last seen during the migratory waterfowl census in 2022.
Wildlife officials hailed the appearance of a pair of painted storks on October 3rd as particularly significant, coinciding with the arrival of other winter migratory birds. While the species is distributed across the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, it is classified as near threatened due to habitat loss and wetland degradation. The return of the painted stork to Kaziranga is a welcome sign for conservation efforts within the UNESCO World Heritage Site, renowned for its population of one-horned rhinos and tigers.
First Piper 