Forest department officials will begin field visits on elephant back from Tuesday to assess the extent of damage caused by Sunday’s floods in the forests of Jaldapara and Gorumara in north Bengal’s Dooars region.

“The water levels are still quite high. Officials will ride trained elephants to reach the interiors and evaluate the damage inside the forests,” said state forest minister Birbaha Hansda. When she spoke to Metro on Monday, she was visiting the flood-hit forests in the Dooars.

Much of the forests remain inaccessible, especially in Jaldapara, due to the floodwaters. Officials said ground assessments are impossible without elephant patrols, as many areas remain submerged and cut off.

As a precaution, the Jaldapara National Park was closed on Monday, and jungle safaris were suspended indefinitely. Spread across 216 square kilometres in Alipurduar, the park draws hundreds of visitors during this season. It is home to the Indian one-horned rhinoceros, elephants, bison, various deer species, and a diverse population of birds, making it a prime destination for wildlife enthusiasts.

A wooden bridge leading to the Jaldapara tourist lodge was damaged in the flood, trapping several tourists. Forest department officials said trained elephants were deployed to rescue them and escort them to the main road.

“At least two wooden bridges leading to popular lodges like Hollong have been damaged,” minister Hansda said. “We have reports of a one-horned rhino and a bison dying due to the flooding.”

In Jalpaiguri’s Maynaguri forest range, a herd of elephants was reportedly stranded, and rescue operations are ongoing to bring them to safety.

The Jaldakha river, which flows through Jaldapara National Park, breached an embankment causing widespread inundation in several villages in Dhupguri, district officials said. The rising waters also swept through forest interiors, leaving some elephants and calves stranded on higher ground.

Officials in Alipurduar district said floodwaters were flowing over the Kalikhola bridge — a vital link between Bhutan and Siliguri via Nagrakata on National Highway 31 — disrupting a lifeline of the Dooars region.

“Unless our teams start visiting the forest interiors, it’s impossible to assess the full extent of the damage to wildlife and infrastructure. Even travelling on elephant back is proving difficult due to high water levels,” said a senior forest official.