| Kamlang Tiger Reserve and Wildlife Sanctuary | |
|---|---|
IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area) | |
 Glow Lake in Kamlang Wildlife Sanctuary | |
   | |
 Interactive map of Kamlang Tiger Reserve and Wildlife Sanctuary | |
| Location | Lohit District, Arunachal Pradesh, India |
| Nearest town | Wakro |
| Coordinates | 27°40′00″N96°26′00″E / 27.66667°N 96.43333°E /27.66667; 96.43333 |
| Area | 783 km2 (302 sq mi) |
| Established | 1974 |
| Governing body | Government of India,Government of Arunachal Pradesh |
| [1] | |
Kamlang Wildlife Sanctuary is awildlife sanctuary in the Indian state ofArunachal Pradesh. It was established in 1989 and is the 50thTiger reserves of India. In 2024, it was declared as aeco-sensitive zone.[2] It is rich withfloral andfaunal diversity. It is situated in theLohit District. The park is named after the Kamlang River which flows through it. TheMishmi,Digaro Mishmi, andMiju Mishmi people tribal people who reside around the periphery of the sanctuary claim their descent from the King Rukmo of the epicMahabharata. They believe in a myth of an invisible god known asSuto Phenkhenynon jamalu. An important body of water in the sanctuary is the Glow Lake. Located in tropical and sub-tropical climatic zones, the sanctuary is the habitat of theBengal tiger,leopard,clouded leopard andsnow leopard.[3][4]
The sanctuary is in the South-Eastern part of Lohit District. Established in 1989, it covers an area of 783 square kilometres (302 sq mi).[1] TheLang River forms its northern border and theNamdapha National Park is on its southern border. Wakro town in the Namsai Sub-Division is close to the sanctuary. Namsai town is 70 kilometres (43 mi) away from Wakro. The nearest rail head and airport areTinsukia andDibrugarh respectively.[3] It is one of the twelve protected areas in the state of Arunachal Pradesh.[4]
The park has a number of bodies of water above an elevation of 600 metres (2,000 ft). These include the Glow Lake, at an elevation of 5,000 feet (1,500 m), covering an area of 8 square kilometres (3.1 sq mi)[5] and with a circumference of about 4–5 kilometres (2.5–3.1 mi); it is accessible only by trekking. Another notable topographic feature within the park is the "Parshuram Kund" ('kund' means "pond") which is a pilgrimage place.[3]
The upper reaches of the park haveAlpine vegetation, particularly on the Daphabum peak which borders theNamdapha National Park. The lower reaches (below 1,200 metres (3,900 ft)), including the foothills, have tropical wet evergreen forests. 150 tree species have been reported in the park. The main trees found in the park areCanarium resiniferum,Terminalia chebula,Gmelina arborea andAmoora wallichii. A great variety ofherbs,bamboos,grasses, andshrubs are also present,[3][4] and 49 species oforchids have also been reported from the park.[6]
Faunal diversity in the park is somewhat similar to that found in the contiguous area of theNamdapha Tiger Reserve; there are 61 species ofmammals, 105bird species and 20 species ofreptiles. The cat species of the wildlife sanctuary includes theRoyal Bengal tiger,common leopard,clouded leopard,marbled cat,leopard cat andsnow leopard. Other notable animal species reported in the park areAsian elephant,wild boar,sambar,barking deer,black giant squirrel and someflying squirrels.[3] Of the fifteen species ofprimate found in India, six species are found in the park. These arecapped langur (Trachypithecus pileatus),rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta),stump-tailed macaque (Macaca arctoides),Assamese macaque (Macaca assamensis),eastern hoolock gibbon (hoolock leuconedys), andBengal slow loris (Nycticebus bengalensis).[4]
