Kaziranga: A rare black-and-white documentary filmed in Kaziranga more than seven decades ago was screened publicly again on December 20, reviving a visual record of the famed national park from a time long before modern conservation frameworks were in place. Titled Kaziranga (1961), the film offers a striking window into the park’s wildlife and landscapes during an era when global attention on conservation was minimal and local threats were steadily mounting.
The screening took place at the Kohora Convention Centre during a film festival organised by Kaziranga National Park & Tiger Reserve in collaboration with local conservation groups and a media studies organisation. The event marked one of the rare occasions the documentary has been shown since its original broadcast on European television in the early 1960s.
Shot by physician-turned-naturalist Robin Banerjee, the documentary captures Kaziranga at a formative stage, documenting its wildlife—particularly the one-horned rhinoceros—before large-scale tourism and intensive protection measures reshaped the region. Conservationists attending the event said the film’s value lies not only in its age but in its portrayal of the park prior to the transformation brought about by structured conservation policies.
The rediscovered film formed the centrepiece of a day-long programme exploring how wildlife storytelling has evolved over time and how media narratives have influenced conservation thinking and policy. Journalists, students, community members and forest officials participated in the event, which blended archival footage with contemporary documentaries addressing poaching, wildlife trafficking, frontline forest work and rhino protection.
In addition to the 1961 documentary, the programme featured films examining anti-poaching operations and the cultural and ecological significance of the one-horned rhinoceros, over 70 per cent of whose global population is found in Assam. These screenings were followed by discussions on how wildlife media has shaped public perception and policy responses.
Panel discussions focused on the changing role of media in wildlife reporting, addressing challenges such as access to protected areas, journalist safety, misinformation and ethical concerns. Media professionals from print, broadcast and digital platforms reflected on how coverage of Kaziranga has shifted from colonial-era exotic portrayals to contemporary debates centred on conservation, human-wildlife conflict and community rights.
Another session brought together members of eco-development committees, conservation practitioners and social scientists to examine how local communities interact with media and how their perspectives can influence conservation outcomes around Kaziranga.
Organisers said the revival of the 1961 documentary highlighted the enduring importance of historical visual records. They noted that early storytelling efforts like Banerjee’s film helped place Kaziranga on the global conservation map and continue to provide valuable context for understanding present-day challenges in wildlife protection.
