| Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary | |
|---|---|
IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area) | |
 Diesel locomotive of Indian Railways going through Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary near Sevoke | |
  Location in West Bengal, India Show map of West Bengal Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary (India) Show map of India | |
 Interactive map ofMahananda Wildlife Sanctuary | |
| Location | Darjeeling,West Bengal, India |
| Nearest city | Siliguri |
| Coordinates | 26°28′52″N88°15′50″E / 26.481°N 88.264°E /26.481; 88.264 |
| Area | 158 km2 (61 sq mi) |
| Established | 1976 |
| Governing body | Government of India,Government of West Bengal |
Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary (Pron: móhɑ́nɑ́ndaa) is located on the foothills of theHimalayas, between theTeesta andMahananda rivers. Situated in theDarjeeling district ofWest Bengal,India; it comes under Darjeeling Wildlife division and can be reached fromSiliguri in 30 minutes.Sukna, the gateway to the sanctuary, is only 13 km from Siliguri and 28 km fromBagdogra airport. The sanctuary sprawls over 159 km2 of reserve forest and was started as a game sanctuary in 1955. In 1959, it got the status of a sanctuary mainly to protect theIndian bison andBengal tiger, which were facing the threat of extinction.[1]
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The forest type in Mahananda WLS varies from riverain forests like Khayer-Sisoo to dense mixed-wet forest in the higher elevation in Latpanchar area ofKurseong hills. The variation in elevation and forest types helps the existence of a large number of species ofmammals, birds andreptiles. Varying elevation from 166 metres at the southern range ofSukna forest to the elevation up to 1,500 metres at Latkothi beat office covers varied vegetation and is home to superbbiome restricted species. Latpanchar actually forms the highest part of the Sanctuary, with an average elevation of 1,400 metres.
Note: The map alongside presents some of the notable locations in the subdivision. All places marked in the map are linked in the larger full screen map.
Avian fauna listed from this park are of A1, A2 and A3 categories with IBA site code IN-WB-07.[2]
Inside this wildlife sanctuary, the primarybiomes corresponding to theecoregions are:
All of these are typical forest type of foothills of theBhutan -Nepal -India hilly region between altitudinal range 166 metres to 1,500 metres.
Birds in Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary includerufous-necked hornbill,Oriental pied hornbill,Great hornbill. Among the othersswallow,swift,thrush,babbler,warbler,roller,minivet andsunbird can be found in abundance.Mammals are reported in this area includeHimalayan serow,Himalayan porcupine,Himalayan black bear andbinturong andclouded leopard. Other important mammalian species includeIndian elephant,gaur,chital,barking deer,sambar,rhesus monkey,leopard.[citation needed]