India, July 31 -- Every year as the monsoon clouds gather over Assam, a familiar drama unfolds in the heart of Kaziranga National Park. The mighty Brahmaputra River, swollen by rains and Himalayan runoff, spills over its banks, inundating vast swathes of the park. For the uninitiated, this might sound like a disaster-indeed, images of stranded rhinos and fleeing deer often make headlines. But for Kaziranga, floods are both a curse and a blessing, shaping its landscape, ecology, and the very survival of its famed inhabitants.

Kaziranga is a jewel in India's conservation crown. Spread over 1,300 square kilometers, it is home to the world's largest population of the endangered greater one-horned rhinoceros with significant populations of Be...