between two saltlicks a place where wildlife is must visible.

mahanada wildlife sanctuary

From Laltong Watch tower(frm album)

great

just a click in haste yielded the best look of the kid

the combo of 1868 plantation.

"MAHANANDA WILDLIFE SANCTUARY" durjoy ghosh,bagha jatin park,siliguri

Mahananda wildlife Sanctuary


Mahananda wildlife Sanctuary has a total notified area of 158.04 sq.kms.it was constituted
In 1976 by curving out a part of reserve forest of Kurseong Div in 1976. and a part of Baikunthapur division subsequently included in 1988.in 1988 adminstratative control of major part
Of the sanctuary was transferred to Kurseong to Wildlife Div.-1 in Darjeeling in 1995.The management plan of the area followed the frame work pescribed by WWF,Dehradun who have standerasized the form of writing the management plan for protected areas. Though the
management plan was preapered for 10yrs starting from 1997-98 yet same should be reviwed & evaluated at the end of 5yrs. Improvement of habitatat activities on the bio-diversity conservation of the sanctuary & to safeguard against any possible negative effect on the habitat & wildlife is to be monnitored during this period.


BOUNDARIES


The forest areas mostly constituting the lower catchment of Mahanadi River has been declared as M.S.W. vide govt. notification no.5384-For. Dated june 24th 1976.The sanctuary was under control of Kurseong div till 1988.It was brought under DFO,Wildlife-1 by C.C.F W.B. O/O NO.8-m8-88 dt 11.08.88. Laltong Block of Baikunthapur div included with in the boundary vide G.O. no. 5411-For.


LOCATION :

PHYSICAL: Latitude 26-23’-33” N to 26-47’-54” & the longitudes 88-33’-31” E to 88-23’36”E(the long. Referable to Greenwich Meridian,taking Madras observatory as 80-17’-21”E.

BIOGRAPHIC: The sanctuary extends between an elevation of 150 to 1300mts. It is in the foothills of Himalayas with moderate steep precipitious mountain slopes.

BOUNDARIES:

NORTH:THE COMMON BOUNDERY BETWEEN RUYEM & SETIKHOLA, RUYEM & SITTONG , UPPER GHORAMARA & SITTONG, LATPANCHAR & MANA FOREST BLOCKS.

EAST; THE EASTERN BOUNDERY OF SEVOKE RANGE ALONG WITH TISTA RIVER FROM THE JUNCTION OF KALIKJHORA & TISTA , SOUTHWARDS EXTENDS UPTO SOUTH CORNER OF LALTONG BLOCK.

SOUTH : THE DEMARCATED SOUTHERN BOUNDERY OF SUKNA & PUNDING BLOCK UPTO ITS JUNCTION OF MAHANADI BLOCK; THEN WESTRN & SOUTHERN BOUNDARY OF LALTONG BLOCK OF 7TH MILE FIRELINE/ROAD.


WEST: LATPANCHAR & BANDARJHORA FOREST BLOCKS ALONG MANA JHORA UPTO JUNCTION WITH THE MAHANADI RIVER; THEN ALONG THE MAHANADI ALONG SOUTH EASTERLY DIRECTION UPTO ITS JUNCTION WITH THE NORTHEN BOUNDERY OF PUNDING & THEN DEMARCATED NOTHERN BOUNDARY OF SUKNA FOREST UP TO ITS JUNCTION OF HILL CART RD.THEN ALONG SUKNA BLOCK UPTO WITH SOUTHEREN BOUNDARY OF SUKNA BLOCK.

THE MAJOR IDENTIFIED HIGH PEAKS ARE P1 AT LATPANCHAR ALT.1150.5MTS P2 1135.5MTS PANCHANAI PEAK 755.4MTS ETC.


SALT LICKS: THERE THREE SALT LICKS IN THE SANCTUARY, TWO LOCATED IN CHOKLONG & ONE IN GOLA BLOCK.PURE SALT DOESNew Folder (2) NOT OCCURE IN THE FOREST BUT OCCURS IN THE FORM OF SALT EARTH IN SOFT STRATIFIED ROCKS WHICH GENERALLY WHITE OR SLATY GRAY. WELL TRODDEN ANIMAL PATH COVERAGE ON THIS SALT-EARTH SITES FROM DIRECTION AND EVIDENCE OF TIGER,GAUR,ELEPHANT SAMBAR & CHERTALS CAN INVARIABLY BE FOUND AROUND THESE SITES.


WATER WEIR: ONE SMALL DAM WAS CREATED IN THE EARSTWHILE GOLAGHAT AREA KNOWN AS SUKNALAKE WHICH ATTRACTED TOURISTS FROM ALLOVER INDIA. BUT DURING THE FLOODS IN 1993 & 1996 THE WEIR TOTALLY CHOKED & DAMAGED .THE RIVER BED HERE HAS VERY MUCH WIDEN & HAS NO CHANCE OF ACCUMULATION OF WATER.DURING 1996 ONE WATER CONSERVATION STRUCTURES WERE CREATED ON CHOKLONGKHOLA TO IMPOUND A SMALL POOL OF WATER DURING DRY SEASON.

MHANADI,GULMAKHOLA ARE THE MAIN SOURCE OF WATER.OTHERS NANDIKHOLA,GHORAMARA,CHOKLONG,PANCHANAI ALL ARE SEASONAL.



WATCH TOWERS : THERE ARE 5 WATCH TOWERS IN THE SANCTUARY AT PRESENT.

1 LALTONG WATCH TOWER IN THE BANK OF TEESTA NEAR LALTONG VILLAGE. THIS WAS CONSTRUCTED TO MONITOR THE MIGRATED ELEPHANT MOVEMENT .

2 GULMA KHOLA WATCH TOWER: IT WAS CONSTRUCTED IN THE NORTH CABIN OF EARSTWHILE GULMAKHOLA RLY. STN. FOR WATCHING WILDLIFE.



3 LALTONG COMPARTMENT NO.9 NEAR TORIBARI ON RIGHT BANK OF GULMAKHOLA CONSTRUCTED TO WATCH WILDLIFE & BIRD WATCHING.


4 GOLAGHAT WATCH TOWER : IT IS SITUATED NEAR GOLAGHAT BEAT IN THE BANK OF MAHANANDA RIVER.IT IS ABOUT 5 KMS FROM SUKNA RANGE OFFICE.

5 A W.TOWER NEAR EARSTWHILE GOLAGHAT BEAT OFFICE RECENTLY CONSTRUCTED TO MONITOR WILDLIFE MOVEMENT.

TREK ROUTES :

THERE ARE NO. OF MINDBLOWING TREK ROUTES IN THE SANCTUARY & ITS VICINITY AREAS WHICH SHOULD BE PROMOTED BY THE DEPARTMENT UNDER STRICT SUPERVISION.IT WOULD CERTAINLY HELP TO MONITOR THE FOREST AREA FROM THE ILLEGAL ACTIVITIES.




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the majestic tree

elephant corridor of N.Bengal

mahananda wildlife: ELEPHANT CORRIDOR