Kamlang Wildlife Sanctuary
| Kamlang Wildlife Sanctuary | |
|---|---|
 Glao Glow Lake Canopy in the midst of Kamlang Wildlife Sanctuary | |
  | |
| Location | Lohit District, Arunachal Pradesh, India |
| Nearest city | Wakro |
| Area | 78 square kilometres (30 sq mi) |
| Established | 1974 |
| Governing body | Government of India, Government of Arunachal Pradesh |
| [1] | |
The Kamlang Wildlife Sanctuary, established in 1989, is rich in biodiversity of flora and fauna. It is situated in the Lohit District of the northeastern Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh. The park is named after the Kamlang River which flows through it. Hishmi, Digaru, and Mizo are the tribal people who reside in around the periphery of the sanctuary who claim their descent to the King Rukmo of the epic Mahabharata. They believe in a myth of an invisible god known as Suto Phenkhenynon jamalu. An important water body within the sanctuary is the Glow Lake. Located in sub-tropical and sub-tropical climatic zones, the sanctuary is the habitat for the four big cats of tiger, leopard, clouded leopard and snow leopard.[2][3]
Topography
The sanctuary is in the South-Eastern part of Lohit District. Established in 1989, it covers an area of 78 square kilometres (30 sq mi).[1] The Lang River forms its northern border and the Namdapha National Park is on its southern border. Wakro town in the Namsai Sub-Division is close to the sanctuary. Namsai town is 70 kilometres (43 mi) away from Wakro. The nearest rail head and airport are Tinsukia and Dibrugarh respectively.[2] It is one of the 12 protected areas in the state of Arunachal Pradesh.[3]
The park has a number of water bodies above an elevation of 600 metres (2,000 ft). One of the prominent water body is the Glow Lake, at an elevation of 5,000 feet (1,500 m) covering a water surface area of 8 square kilometres (3.1 sq mi)[4] and with a circumference of about 4–5 kilometres (2.5–3.1 mi), which is accessible only by trekking. Another notable topographic feature within the park boundary is the "Parasuram Kund" ('kund' means "pond") which is a pilgrimage place.[2]
Flora
The upper reaches of the park has Alpine vegetation, particularly in the Daphabhum peak which borders the Namdapha National Park. The lower reaches (below 1,200 metres (3,900 ft)), including the foothills, have tropical wet evergreen forests. 150 tree species have been reported from the park. The main trees found in the park are Canarium resiniferum, Terminalia chebula, Gmelina arborea and Amoora wallichii. A great variety of herbs, bamboos, grasses, and shrubs are also present.[2][3] 49 species of orchids are also reported from the park. [5]
Wildlife
Wildlife in the park is similar to those found in the contiguous area of the Namdapha Tiger Reserve consisting of 61 species of mammals, 105 species of birds and 20 species of reptiles. Apart from the four big cats, – tiger, leopard, clouded leopard and snow leopard, other animal species reported in the park are elephant, and hoolock gibbon, slow loris, leopard cat, and Himalayan palm civets. Other mammal species reported are stump-tailed macaque, capped langur, wild boar, civet, deer, giant squirrel and flying squirrel.[2] Out of the 15 species of primate found in the country, six species are found in the park. These are Semnopithecus entellus, Macaca mulatta, Macaca arctoides, Macaca assamensis, Bunopithecus hoolock, and Nycticebus coucang.[3]
References
- ^ a b "Wildlife:Kamlang". Government of Arunachal Pradesh.
- ^ a b c d e "Kamlang Wildlife Sanctuary". Aruanchal Forest Department.
- ^ a b c d "Demwe Lower HE Project (1750 MW):Protected Area" (pdf). Arunachal State Pradesh Power Corporation Board.
- ^ "Jewels of Namsai district". Arunachal Times. 29 November 2014.
- ^ "Contributions To The Orchid Flora Of Kamlang Wild Lifesanctuary In Lohit District Of Arunachal Pradesh". Bulletin of Arunachal Forest Research 22 (1&2). 2006.
