Adventure & Wildlife Magazine - Vol 1|Issue 5-6| Nov 16 - Jan 17 Vol 2 | Issue 1 | Mar - May 2017 | Page 67

ADVENTURE & WILDLIFE
Wildlife Sanctuaries of Assam
The Hoollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary
Formerly known as the Gibbon Wildlife
Sanctuary or Hoollongapar Reserve Forest is an isolated
protected area of evergreen forest located in Assam,
India. The sanctuary was officially constituted and
renamed in 1997. Set aside initially in 1881, its forests
used to extend to the foothills of the Patkai mountain
range.
The sanctuary has a very rich biodiversity and is
home to the only apes in India, the western hoolock
gibbon (Hoolock hoolock), as well as the only nocturnal
primate found in the northeast Indian states,
the Bengal slow loris (Nycticebus bengalensis)
Other primates include the stump-tailed macaque
(Macaca arctoides), northern pig-tailed macaque
(Macaca leonina), eastern Assamese macaque
(Macaca assamensis assamensis), rhesus macaque (Macaca
mulatta), and capped langur (Trachypithecus pileatus).
Also found at the sanctuary are Indian elephants, tigers
(Panthera tigris), leopards (Panthera pardus), jungle
cats (Felis chaus), wild boar (Sus scrofa), three types of
civet, four types of squirrel, and several other types of
mammal. At least 219 species of bird and several types of
snake are known to live in the park.
Since then, the forest has been fragmented and
surrounded by tea gardens and small villages. In the
early 1900s, artificial regeneration was used to a develop
well-stocked forest, resulting in the site’s rich
biodiversity. The Hoollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary
contains India’s only gibbons - the hoolock gibbons, and
Northeastern India’s only nocturnal primate - the Bengal Garampani Wildlife Sanctuary
Garampani Wildlife Sanctuary is a 6.05-square-
slow loris.
kilometre (2.34 sq mi) wildlife sanctuary located in
The upper canopy of the forest is dominated by the Karbi Anglong district, Assam, India. It is 25 km (16
Hollong tree (Dipterocarpus macrocarpus), while the mi) from Golaghat. It is one of the oldest sanctuaries
Nahar (Mesua ferrea) dominates the middle canopy. The containing hot water spring and waterfalls and
lower canopy consists of evergreen shrubs and herbs. The surrounded by Nambor Sanctuary having 51 rare species of
habitat is threatened by illegal logging, encroachment of orchid. The nearest Airport Dimapur is 55 km and Jorhat
Airport is 85 km away. The road distances from nearest
human settlements, and habitat fragmentation.
Towns : from Golaghat is 35 km, from Diphu is 92 km,
The Hoollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary is classified as from Guwahati is 330 km and Kaziranga is 45 km away.
“Assam plains alluvial semi-evergreen forests” with some The best time to visit is November to April.
wet evergreen forest patches. It receives 249 cm (98 in)
of rainfall on average per year. Situated at an altitude Bura Chapori Wildlife Sanctuary
between 100 and 120 m (330 and 390 ft), the Bura Chapori Wildlife Sanctuary is a protected area
topography gently slopes downward from southeast to located in the state of Assam in India. This wildlife
northwest. The Bhogdoi River creates a waterlogged sanctuary covers 44.06 km 2 , on the south bank of the
region dominated by semi-hydrophytic plants along Brahmaputra River in Sonitpur district. The area was
the border of the sanctuary, helping to create three declared a Reserved forest in 1974, it became a sanctuary
distinct habitat zones or micro-ecosystems in the park: the in 1995. It is located 40 km from Tezpur town and 181
up-slope zone, the down-slope zone, and the km away from Guwahati.
flood-prone zone.
Vol 2|Issue 1|Mar - May 2017
67