Syllabus section: Environment and ecology

 

Why in News?

In first, a bird festival is being organized at the Mahananda wildlife sanctuary in West Bengal to provide an opportunity for enthusiasts to explore the forest and watch different birds.

About:

• Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary is located on the foothills of the Himalayas, between the Teesta and Mahananda rivers. Situated in the Darjeeling district of West Bengal, India.

• 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 the Indian bison and royal Bengal tiger, which were facing the threat of extinction.

• The forest type in Mahananda WLS varies from riverain forests like Khayer-Sisoo to dense mixed-wet forests in the higher elevation in the Latpanchar area of Kurseong hills.

• The variation in altitude and forest types helps the existence of a large number of species of mammals, birds, and reptiles

 

Source: The Tribune