The Hindu: Page 12
Syllabus: Conservation
The monsoon has brought a measure of relief to animals especially the one-horned rhinoceros in Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary dealing with extreme heat.
About Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary
- Location: Southern bank of the Brahmaputra River in Morigaon district, Assam, adjacent to Guwahati; declared a reserve forest in 1971 and a wildlife sanctuary in 1987.
- Significance: Hosts the highest population density of Indian One-Horned Rhinoceros, with around 102 rhinos in an area of 38.8 sq. km.
- Landscape: Dominated by alluvial lowlands and marshlands; bounded by the Brahmaputra River to the north and Garanga Beel to the south.
- Flora: 72% wet savannah with species like Arundo donax, Erianthus ravennae, Phragmites karka, Imperata cylindrica, and Saccharum spp.; water hyacinth (Eichornia crassipes) is a major issue for waterfowl.
- Fauna: Home to leopards, wild boars, barking deer, wild buffaloes, and over 375 species of resident and migratory birds, such as Indian Pied Hornbill, Osprey, Hill Myna, and Kalij Pheasant.
About One-Horned Rhino:
- IUCN Red List Status: Vulnerable.
- Habitat– Rhinos are mainly found in Assam, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh.
- Assam has an estimated 2,640 rhinos in four protected areas, i.e. Pobitora Wildlife Reserve, Rajiv Gandhi Orang National Park, Kaziranga National Park, and Manas National Park.
Note: About 2,400 of them are in the Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve (KNPTR).
National Parks, Tiger Reserves, and Wildlife Sanctuaries of Assam
- Manas Biosphere Reserve, National Park, Tiger Reserve
- Rajiv Gandhi Orang National Park, Tiger Reserve
- Pani-Dihing Wildlife Sanctuary
- Kaziranga Tiger Reserve, National Park
- Raimona National Park
- Deepor Beel Wildlife Sanctuary (Ramsar Site)
- Garampani Wildlife Sanctuary
- Hollongapar Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary
- Barnadi Wildlife Sanctuary
- Chakrasila Wildlife Sanctuary
- Dihing Patkai National Park, Wildlife Sanctuary
- Nameri Tiger Reserve, National Park
- Burachapari Wildlife Sanctuary
- Sonai Rupai Wildlife Sanctuary
- Lawkhowa Wildlife Sanctuary
- Marat Longri Wildlife Sanctuary
- Dibru-Saikhowa National Park, Biosphere Reserve
- Nambor Wildlife Sanctuary
- Pabitora Wildlife Sanctuary
- Nambor-Doigrung Wildlife Sanctuary
- Dihing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary
