In news: Melanistic Rhesus Macaque(Macaca Mulatta) was sighted for the first time in the Manas National Park.
Key updates
The adult female melanistic Rhesus macaque was observed by the team of Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) jointly with the Forest Department in March 2021 in the First Addition to Manas National Park. This phenomenon is rare in the wild population and photographic evidence has been recorded for the first time.
About the Manas National Park
- Manas National Park gets its name from the River Manas, which flows through the reserve and is also the major tributary of Brahmaputra River.
- Location: Assam
- Before 1928, Manas National Park was a reserve forest and called Manas R.F. and North Kamrup R.F
- Manas was originally a game reserve since 1928 and became a Tiger Reserve in 1974, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985, and a Biosphere Reserve in 1989 then was declared as a National Park in 1990
- The park is contiguous with the Buxa Tiger Reserve in West Bengal, and in 2003 it was declared part of the Chirang-Ripu Elephant Reserve which serves as the international corridor for elephant migration between India and Bhutan
- Considered one of the world’s rarest simian species, the golden langur was first spotted in Manas in the mid-20th Century.
Flora:
- The combination of Sub-Himalayan Bhabar Terai and the Himalayan subtropical broadleaf forests makes Manas National Park one of the richest biodiversity in India.
- There are around 543 plant species recorded in the core of the national park.
- There are four types of vegetation in Manas National Park namely,
- Sub-Himalayan Light Alluvial Semi-Evergreen forests (northern parts)
- East Himalayan mixed Moist and Dry Deciduous forests
- Low Alluvial Savanna Woodland, and
- Assam Valley Semi-Evergreen Alluvial Grasslands.
Fauna:
- It is home to approx 450 species of birds, 50 species of reptiles, 55 species of mammals and few species of amphibians
- The park is known for the rare species of animals like the Assam roofed turtle, hispid hare, golden langur and pygmy hog.
- It is also home to the largest population of the endangered Bengal florican in the world.
- Manas is very rich in the population of Royal Bengal Tigers.
Source: Northeast Now
