Prince William and Kate visit villages around Kaziranga

After a jeep safari inside the Kaziranga National Park, Duke and Duchess of Cambridge Prince William and Kate Middleton on Wednesday visited villages around the famed park, the Kaziranga Discovery Centre and Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation.

The royal couple after the jeep safari in the Bagori range of the Park visited Rong Terang Gaon, where the villagers have shifted their homes to create a corridor for elephants.

The Duke and Duchess, dressed in casuals with the latter wearing jeans and a white and black polka shirt, took a keen interest in the measures taken by villagers to reduce man-elephant conflict.

In the village, the couple first visited 'Namghar', the traditional prayer hall, where they entered after removing their shoes and kneeled down to bow before the altar housing the 'nam-ghosa' (the holy book). They then interacted with a group of local villagers and officials.

The royal couple also visited the Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre (CWRC) at Panbari area where they were shown a documentary of man-elephant conflict across the state.

The Duke and Duchess also visited Kaziranga Discovery Centre where The Mark Shand Asian Elephant Learning Centre is situated and were briefed about the activities of the Captive Elephant Clinic which completed 4,883 cases.

Shand, a renowned travel writer and conservationist, was the co-founder of the Foundation of Elephant Family in 2002 and also the brother of Duchess of Cornwall, Camilla.