Chakrashila Wildlife Sanctuary

A Golden Langur

Chakrashila Wildlife Sanctuary is a wildlife sanctuary falling under Dhubri and Kokrajhar districts of Assam, India.^[1][2] It is famous for the Golden Langur and is the second protected habitat for Golden Langur in India.^{[3] [4]} Chakrashila Hill was first declared as reserve forest in 1966 and on July 14, 1994 it was recognized with the status of sanctuary by the Government of Assam.^[5] A local environmental activist group, Nature's Beckon played a vital role for this recognition.^[6] It covers an area of 45.568 km² (4556.8 hectares). It is around 6 km from Kokrajhar town, 68 km from Dhubri town and 219 km from Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport, Guwahati.

Conservation drive for Golden Langur by Nature's Beckon

The sanctuary is mainly a hilly tract running north-south and there are two lakes (Dheer Beel and Diplai Beel) on either side, which are integral to the eco-system of the sanctuary. The lower hilly reaches are covered with Sal coppice regeneration while middle and upper reaches are covered with mixed deciduous forests. Different kinds of mammals and birds, twenty-three species of reptiles including snakes, crocodiles, alligators, lizards and turtles, more than forty species of butterfly are found in this sanctuary.^[7] Some species of mammals recorded so far in this sanctuary are Indian Short-tailed Mole, Indian Flying Fox, Short Nosed Fruit Bat, Indian False Vampire, Indian Pipistrelle, Rhesus Macaque, Chinese Pangolin, Asiatic Jackal and Bengal Fox. Hornbills are also spotted here. It is also a save haven for a variety of endangered animals. The Sanctuary has some tourist accommodation facility at Choraikhola, Kokrajhar and also provides facilities for bird watching, forest trekking, and wildlife and nature photography.

References

1. ^ Department of Tourism, Govt. of Assam
2. ^ http://www.mapsofindia.com/assam/tourism/chakrashila-wildlife-sanctuary.html
3. ^ http://ips.conference-services.net/resources/354/1080/pdf/IPSoc2008_0930.pdf
4. ^ http://www.envfor.nic.in/news/aprjun05/southpopulation.doc
5. ^ http://boro.bodoland.net/index.php?view=article&catid=23:forest-and-wildlife-department-&id=88:chakrashila-wildlife-sanctuary&option=com_content&Itemid=81
6. ^ Conservation drive by Nature's Beckon
7. ^ http://www.wildlifeinindia.com/chakrashila-wildlife-sanctuary.html