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Namdhapa National Park :India February 14, 2006

The Namdhapa National Park is famous for the extremely elusive snow leopard, and the clouded leopard. Three major rivers drain this area and flow into the Noa Dihing, a tributary of the Brahmaputra. Some of the inhabitants of the Park include the gaur or mithun, elephant, Himalayan black bear, takin, the wild goat peculiar to the Patkoi range, musk deer, slow loris, binturong and the red panda. Several primate species like the Assamese macaque, pig-tailed macaque, stump-tailed macaque and the hoolock gibbon can be found in the area. The inaccessibility of a major portion of the Park has helped in preserving the pristine quality of the region. The Park is also a Tiger Reserve under Project Tiger.

Namdapha is justly a birding paradise with more than 400 species represented with some only found in this area in India. From Ibisbills and White-bellied Herons on the Noa-Dihing, to Blyth’s Tragopans, Blue-naped Pittas, Snowy-throated babblers, Cochoas, Ward’s Trogons, Beautiful Nuthatches, Rufous-necked Hornbills ~ Namdapha is the last word in exotics and the rare.

The Namdapha National Park is a combination of various species of trees and shrubs. The park is covered with wet tropical rain forest, which has thick lush green undergrowth. With more than 150 species of timber it is a botanist’s dream destination. Rare and endangered orchids, and famous medicinal herbs grow in the park.

Namdapha National Park has perhaps the richest diversity of flora and fauna in the Indian Subcontinent. This is because of its biogeographical location within the Indo-Chinese subregion and its great altitudinal variation, from 4,500 meters at Daphabum, highest point, to 200 meters in the lowest valleys. The park is largely mountainous and is drained by the noa-Dehing, Deban and Namdapha rivers. In the lower levels grow a tangled profusion of tropical rainforests, with huge Hollock, Hollong and Mekai trees intermixed with giant creepers, tall cane and dense bamboo stands. Higher up are the deciduous forests, with temperate and alpine forests higher still, where Oak, Magnolia, Pine, Betula and Rhododendrons grow in profusion. Namdapha is a botanical haven, with over 150 tree species and many flowers and orchids, including the Blue Vanda, one of the rarest orchids. It will be many years before Namdapha’s flora is fully surveyed. Namdapha’s birdlife includes the Satyr Tragopan, Kalij and Monal Pheasants, Giant Hornbill, Forest Eagle Owl and the rare White-winged Wood Duck. [principal reptiles include the Indian Python, Reticulated Python and King Cobra. For mammal watchers, the park boasts no fewer than four large cats- Tiger, Leopard, Clouded Leopard and Snow Leopard. It also has a good population of the Hoolock Gibbon.


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