Wildlife flee as floods swamp Indian parks | International

KOLKATA, Oct 8, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - A herd of elephants, along with tigers and leopards, have escaped after raging floods in India submerged two of West Bengal's famed wildlife sanctuaries, state officials said Wednesday. Since October 3, at least 36 people have been killed in floods and landslides across the state, as days of torrential rain destroyed hundreds of homes, washed away tea estates, and left roads impassable. The deluge also swamped large parts of Gorumara and Jaldapara national parks, protected reserves in the Himalayan foothills that shelter elephants, bison, tigers, and the endangered one-horned rhinoceros. "The two wildlife sanctuaries... have been submerged under floodwater forcing the animals to stray out," West Bengal forest minister Birbaha Hansda told AFP. "A...