Silent Valley National Park

Why in news?

• This year’s survey marked the 30th anniversary of the first bird survey in Silent Valley. 
• Brown wood owl, Banded Bay cuckoo, Malabar woodshrike, White-throated kingfisher, Indian nightjar, Jungle nightjar, and Large cuckooshrike were among the 17 species newly identified in the Silent Valley.

 

What is Silent Valley National Park?

• It is a beautiful representation of the last remaining rainforest of Kerala. The forests of the Silent Valley National Park harbour some of the most pristine, unique and highly productive forests in the world.
• Silent Valley is located in the Southwestern corner of Nilgiris.
• A perennial river named Kunthipuzha is passing through the western side of the park, from north to south direction finally merging into Bharathapuzha. 
• Fauna: Silent Valley Park is known for many highly endangered species such as lion-tailed macaque, tiger, gaur, leopard, wild boar, panther, Indian Civet and Sambhar.
• The indigenous tribal groups that live within park boundaries include Irulas, Kurumbas, Mudugas and Kattunaikkars.

 

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Q1) Who are Irulas?

They belong to the ethnicity called Irular, which belongs to the Dravidian family. They live in the area of the Nilgiri Mountains, in the states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

Source: Silent Valley bird species go up to 175