An adult male elephant has been camera-trapped in Namdapha National Park and Tiger Reserve in Arunachal Pradesh after 12 years. The last recorded sighting of an elephant in the core area of the park was in 2013.
Namdapha Tiger Reserve
• Namdapha, a National Park and Tiger Reserve, a true wilderness and enchanting beauty of lush green vegetation, impenetrable pristine and virgin forests covered an area of 1,985.23 square kilometres having diverse flora and fauna lies in the international border between India and Myanmar within Changlang District in the state of Arunachal Pradesh in the northeast India.
• Namdapha National Park is located a few kilometres away from Miao amidst misty blue hills along the turbulent Noa-Dihing river.
• It was declared as a tiger reserve in 1983.
The reserve has a diverse forest cover, including:
• Northern Tropical Evergreen Forest
• North Indian Tropical Moist Deciduous Forest
• East Himalayan Moist Temperate Forest
• Moist Alpine Scrub Forest.
River System
• Namdapha River flows north-south across the reserve, giving the park its name.
Flora
Unique plant species found in the reserve:
• Pinus merkusii and Abies delavayi – exclusive to Namdapha.
• Blue Vanda – A rare and endangered orchid species.
• Mishimi Teeta (Coptis teeta) – A medicinal plant used by local tribes for treating diseases.
Fauna
The park is home to a wide range of species, including:
• Elephants
• Himalayan Black Bear and Himalayan Sun Bear
• Hoolock Gibbon – India’s only ape species
• Slow Loris.
(The author is a trainer for Civil Services aspirants.)