Namdapha National Park and Tiger Reserve

Namdapha National Park and Tiger Reserve Latest News

The elusive and endangered white-eared night heron has been camera-trapped in Namdapha National Park and Tiger Reserve in Arunachal Pradesh recently.

About Namdapha National Park and Tiger Reserve

• Namdapha, a national park and tiger reserve,  lies on the international border between India and Myanmar within Changlang District in the state of Arunachal Pradesh.
• It covers an area of 1985.23 sq.km.
• It is located at the junction of the Indian subcontinent and Indo-China biogeographic Regions.
• It is nestled between the Dapha Bum ridge of the Mishmi Hills of the northeastern Himalayas and the Patkai Ranges.
• It has a common boundary with Kamlang Wildlife Sanctuary (Arunachal Pradesh).
• River: The Namdapha River (a tributary of Noa-Dihing River) flows right across in a north-south direction of this reserve, and hence the name Namdapha has been given.
• Vegetation: It consists of Northern Tropical Evergreen Forest, North Indian Tropical Moist Deciduous Forests, East Himalayan Moist Temperate Forests, Moist Alpine Scrub Forests.
• Flora:
  • It consists of species like Pinus Merkusi and Abies Delavavi being exclusive to the park.
  • It is home to the Blue Vanda, which is a rare and endangered orchard.
  • It also consists of medicinal plants like Mishimi Teeta (Copti teeta), which is used by the local tribes to treat different types of diseases.
• Fauna: 
  • Elephants, Himalayan Black Bear, Himalayan Sun Bear, Hoolock Gibbon (only ape in India), Slow Loris, etc.
  • It is the only park in the world to have the four feline species of big cats, namely the Tiger (Panthera Tigris), Leopard (Panthera Pardus), Snow Leopard (Panthera Uncia), and Clouded Leopard (Neofelis Nebulosa) and numbers of Lesser cats. 

Key Facts about White-Eared Night Heron

• It is a medium brown heron with a brown-streaked breast and a white patch on the side of the head.
• Scientific Name: Oroanassa magnifica
• It is primarily found in southern China and northern Vietnam and has an estimated global population of fewer than 1,000 individuals.
• Known for being extremely secretive and nocturnal, the white-eared night heron is rarely observed in the wild.
• It is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List.

Source: DH