Royal Manas National Park

The Royal Manas National Park in southern Bhutan, which is considered Bhutan's national heritage, was first designated as a wildlife sanctuary in 1996 and then as a national park in 1993. In India, the park is bordered on the north by the Black Mountain National Park and on the south by the Manas Tiger Reserve. Thrumshingla National Park in the north, Phibsoo Wildlife Sanctuary in the west, and Khaling Wildlife Sanctuary in the east are biological corridors connected to the park in Bhutan. The royal Bengal tiger, elephant, gaur, 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 are among the important faunal species identified (Bubalus arnee).

 

Other aquatic species found in the river include the deep-bodied mahseer (Tor tor), golden mahseer (Tor putitora), and chocolate mahseer or katle, in addition to the Ganges river dolphin (Platanista gangetica) (Acrossocheilus hexangonolepis). Several villages within the park's boundaries house 5,000 people. Tigers, Bhutan's most revered animal, are thought to number around 100 and are mostly found in this national park and India's Manas National Park.

 

The golden langur, one of the world's rarest monkeys, lives in dense forests and has a long tail with a tassel at the end. It can be found in Bhutan and India, in two protected forest sanctuaries. The black face of these monkeys is hairless, but they have a generous golden ruff on their body. They can be found in large numbers – 180 in India and 1200 in Bhutan, according to counts from 1978 and 1980.

 

The Manas Wild Life Sanctuary in Assam is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is considered one of "Asia's finest wild life reserves" To the north, it is bordered by Bhutan's Royal National Park. It now includes a bio reserve, a tiger reserve, and an elephant reserve, among other things. The park is densely forested, with grasslands and marshes thrown in for good measure.

 

The core of the area was designated as a sanctuary in 1928, and a tiger reserve in 1978. The sanctuary is crossed by the Manas River and its tributary, the Hakua. The terrain's dominant soil is a thick alluvium mantle.

 

Tigers, elephants, Assam roofed turtles, hispid hares, golden and capped langurs, pygmy hogs, one-horned rhinoceros, Asiatic buffalo, swamp deer, barking deers, leopards, clouded leopards, marbled cats, sloth bears, hoolock gibbons, wild boar, gharials, crocodiles, and river dolphins are among the park's rare and Pythons, common Indian crocodiles, common wolf snakes, cat snakes, and a variety of other reptiles are among the reptiles. Hornbills, common cranes, common redshanks, Eurasian woodcocks, spotted eagles, black-throated divers, little grebes, various types of herons, black ibis, Eurasian sparrowhawks, spot-bellied eagle-owls, and others are among the birds listed. There are 22 endangered mammal species in the park. The following fish species have been discovered: katli, jurraha, chenga, telliah, labeo, and mahaseer.

 

Flood control in the Brahmaputra River and augmentation of flows in the Ganga river system were planned as part of one of the previous development projects on the Manas River, which included the construction of a dam on the river near the Indo-Bhutan border. The water stored behind the reservoir was proposed to be transferred through a long canal system that would run through the foothills of the Himalayas (skirting Bangladesh) and cross 25 major and minor rivers, including the Sankosh, Raidak, Amo (Torsa), Kartoya, Teesta, Atrai, and Mahananda rivers in North Bengal, before eventually emptying into the Kosi River in North Bihar. Due to negative public opinion and environmental concerns, the project has been shelved.