Manas River - Reserved Areas - Royal Manas National Park

Royal Manas National Park

Royal Manas National Park in southern Bhutan, considered the national heritage of Bhutan, was declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1996 and subsequently raised to the status of a national park in 1993. Covering an area of 9,938.54 square kilometres (3,837.29 sq mi), the area is forested to the extent of 92% and is a well-preserved Eastern Himalayan ecosystem. The park is bounded on its north by the Black Mountain National Park and the Manas Tiger Reserve on its South in India. Within Bhutan, biological corridors linked with the park are the Thrumshingla National Park in the North, Phibsoo Wildlife Sanctuary in the West, and Khaling Wildlife Sanctuary in the East. As researched so far, the park has a large diversity of tropical grasslands, temperate moist forests, alpine meadows, and scrublands. The various flora and fauna identified in the park are 45 species of mammals, 366 species of birds and 900 species of vascular plants. World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is actively working on a conservation management plan in association with local wildlife authorities to preserve and protect this national heritage. Some of the important faunal species identified are: the Royal Bengal Tiger, Elephant, Gaur (Bos gaurus), four rare species of Golden langur (Trachypithecus geei), Pygmy hog (Sus salvanius), Hispid hare (Caprolagus hispidus), Greater one-horned rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis) and Wild Asiatic Water Buffalo (Bubalus arnee). There are 362 species of birds, out of which four species of Hornbills (namely Rufous-necked, Wreathed, Pied and Great Indian) have been recorded. Apart from the Ganges River Dolphin (Platanista gangetica) other aquan species identified in the river are the Deep bodied mahseer (Tor tor), Golden mahseer (Tor putitora), and Chocolate mahseer or Katle (Acrossocheilus hexangonolepis). Five southand people live within the park limits in several villages. Tiger, which is the most revered animal in Bhutan, estimated to number about 100 are mostly conserved in this national park and also in the neighbouring Manas National Park in India

The world's rarest monkeys, the Golden langur, which flourish in dense forests, “with its long tail with a tassel at the end, are found both in Bhutan and India, in the two reserved forest sanctuaries. These monkeys found in groups have no hair on their black face but have generous golden ruff on their body. They are found in large numbers – 180 in India and 1200 in Bhutan, as per counts made in 1978 and 1980 respectively.