Adventure & Wildlife Magazine - Vol 1|Issue 5-6| Nov 16 - Jan 17 Vol 2 | Issue 1 | Mar - May 2017 | Page 66

ADVENTURE & WILDLIFE
The annual rainfall ranges from 2300 mm to 3800 mm.
The main rainy months are June, July, August, Septem-
ber. The average coldest and warmest temperature of the
area ranges from 7 °C to 34 °C where June, July and Au-
gust are the hottest while December and January are the
coolest months.
herpetofauna. Two species of monitor lizard, eight
species of turtle and eight species of snake have
been recorded. Birds The birds of Dibru-Saikhowa
include greater adjutant, lesser adjutant, Indian
cormorant, grey heron, purple heron, black-crowned night
heron, yellow bittern, Asian openbill, black stork,
fulvous whistling-duck, greylag goose, northern
Conservation
pintail, Pallas’s fish-eagle, Eurasian griffon, osprey,
The area was declared as Dibru Reserved Forest in crested serpent-eagle, spot-billed pelican, white-winged
1890. In 1920, additional area was added to the Dibru wood duck, Baer’s pochard, greater spotted eagle, Bengal
Reserve Forest. In 1929, Saikhowa Reserve Forest was florican, pale-capped pigeon, great pied hornbill, marsh
declared. In 1933, more area was added to the Dibru RF. babbler, Jerdon’s babbler, black-breasted parrotbill, etc.
In 1986, an area of 650 km2 was preliminarily declared
as a wildlife sanctuary out of which finally 340 km2 was Travel
declared as wildlife sanctuary in 1995. In 1997, Dibru- The park can be visited by staying at Tinsukia town from
Saikhowa Biosphere Reserve was declared with and area where one can catch buses directly.
of 765 km2 that included the 340 km2 of sanctuary area
as the core. In 1999, the 340 km2 of sanctuary area was By air Mohanbari (Dibrugarh) is the nearest airport,
declared as national park.
which is about 40 km (25 mi). away from Tinsukia.
Originally created to help conserve the habitat of the
rare white-winged wood duck, the park is also home to
other rare creatures such as water buffalo, black-breasted
parrotbill, the Royal bengal tiger and capped langur. The
park also has some eco lodges.
By rail One of the easiest ways to reach Tinsukia town
is by train. One can opt for Rajdhani trains from Delhi
city which pass through the route to Dibrugarh.
By road Buses can be taken to the town of Tinsukia
which is well connected with Dibrugarh town by NH 37
Flora
and the distance is 55 km (34 mi). The distance between
The forest of Dibru-Saikhowa consists of semi-evergreen the city of Guwahati and Dibru Saikhova National Park
forests, deciduous, littoral and swamp forests and p will be around 500 kilometres (310 mi) approximately.
atches of wet evergreen forests. The national park is Travel through the buses can get quite uncomfortable
about 35.84% moist mixed forest, 9.50% degraded forest due to improper maintenance and crowds.
and 21.25% grassland. Major tree species of the area are
tetrasperma, Dillenia indica, Bischofia javanica, Bombax
ceiba, Lagerstroemia parviflora, Terminalia myriocarpa,
Mesua ferrea, Dalbergia sissoo, and Ficus. Orchid flora
of Dibru-Saikhowa, Arundo donax, Imperata cylindrica,
Phragmaties karka, Erianthus ravanea are principal types
of grasses in the national park.
Fauna
Mammals Thirty-six species of mammals have been
recorded from the Dibru-Saikhowa, of which 12 are
listed in the schedule 1 of the Wildlife (Protection)
Act of 1972. Species include: royal Bengal tiger,
leopard, clouded leopard, jungle cat, sloth bear, dhole,
small Indian civet, Malayan giant squirrel, Chinese
pangolin, Gangetic dolphin, slow loris, pig tailed
macaque, Assamese macaque, rhesus macaque, capped
langur, Hoolock gibbon, Asian elephant, wild boar,
sambar, hog deer, barking deer, Asiatic water buffalo,
and feral horse.
Reptiles Dibru-Saikhowa is rich and diverse in
66
Vol 2|Issue 1|Mar - May 2017