News: Recently, a camera trap in Dehing Patkai National Park has captured a rare sighting of a Clouded Leopard (Neofelis nebulosa), a species listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.
About Dehing Patkai National Park
- It is located in the Dibrugarh and Tinsukia districts of Assam.
- It is India’s largest stretch of lowland rainforest.
- It is known as the “Amazon of the East.”
- In 2004, Dehing Patkai was declared a wildlife sanctuary. In 2021 the Assam Forest Department officially notified it as a national park.
- It was also declared as Dehing Patkai Elephant Reserve under Project Elephant, highlighting its significance for elephant conservation.
- Tribes: The region is home to a diverse mix of ethnic groups, including indigenous Assamese communities such as the Tai Phake, Khamyang, Khampti, Singpho, Nocte, Ahom, Kaibarta, Moran, and Motok, as well as Burmese and non-indigenous Nepali populations.
- Vegetation: The park features a deciduous rainforest with semi-evergreen vegetation and abundant greenery.
- Flora: Species like Hollong, Nahor, Mekai, Paroli, Simul, along with various orchids, ferns, cane, and bamboo are found in the forest.
- Fauna:
- The rich biodiversity includes diverse species such as slow loris, pig-tailed macaque, stump-tailed macaque, capped langur, Indian leopard, Asian elephant, royal Bengal tiger, gaur, Himalayan black bear, clouded leopard, barking deer, Chinese pangolin etc.
- Dehing Patkai is a crucial bird habitat, especially for the White-Winged Wood Duck, a globally threatened species.
- Other bird species include the Lesser Adjutant Stork, White-backed Vulture, Slender-billed Vulture, and Beautiful Nuthatch and several pheasants like the White-cheeked Hill Partridge, Khaleej Pheasant, and Grey Peacock-Pheasant.
Read more: Clouded Leopard
