Manas National Park

About Manas National Park and Tiger Reserve:

• It is located in the foothills of Himalayas in Assam. It is contiguous with the Royal Manas National Park in Bhutan.
• The area has a unique distinction of being a Natural World Heritage Site, a Tiger Reserve, an Elephant Reserve, a Biosphere Reserve and an Important Bird Area.
• It is one of the first reserves included in the tiger reserve network under project tiger in 1973.
• It forms part of a large tiger conservation landscape which includes Buxa-Nameri-Pakke-Namdapha tiger reserves and protected areas of Bhutan and Myanmar.
• The name of the park originates from the Manas River, which is named after the serpent goddess Manasa.
  • The Manas River is a major tributary of Brahmaputra River, which passes through the Manas National Park.
• Flora: In general, the vegetation comprises of Sal (Shorea robusta), scrub forests, old plantations (in buffer areas), semi-evergreen and mixed deciduous forests, interspersed with grasslands and riparian vegetation (in core area).
• Fauna: The Park is known for its rare and endangered endemic wildlife such as the Hispid Hare, Pigmy Hog, Golden Langur, Indian Rhinoceros, Asiatic Buffalo etc.

Q1: What is a Tiger Reserve?

Tiger Reserve is a legally declared protected area dedicated to the conservation of striped big cats. A tiger reserve, on the other hand, could be a national park or wildlife sanctuary. The Sariska Tiger Reserve, for example, is also a national park.

Source: Manas National Park to reopen on September 27