Published by The New Indian Express, India

As dawn cracks in at Kaziranga National Park in Assam, we slowly swish through the thick grassland with dewdrops still on their tips.

Sitting atop an elephant, our eyes are wide open to spot the one-horned rhino, for which this UNESCO World Heritage listed sanctuary is famous for. As mist rises, we spot a mother and baby rhino at a water hole. Our mahout takes us close to the beasts, who remain unmoved. Later, we see many more of them, Kaziranga being home to over 2,000 of these scarce species. We also see other animals—deer, water buffaloes, elephants, crocodiles and exhilarating avian kinds—but no tigers and leopards as the big cats shyly hide from us.