BURA CHAPORI --- A UNEXPLORED ANIMAL PARADISE

Photos

Bura Chapori Wildlife Sanctuary-Photo-01

see larger image

uploaded by digsbanin

The colorful and exuberant state of Assam abounds in tradition, history, folklore, grandeur, architectural splendor as well as panoramic natural beauty.

Among the various parks and sanctuaries in Assam, the Bura-Chapori Wildlife Sanctuary deserves special mention. Bura-Chapori Wildlife Sanctuary is an old sand bank turned parmanent,faces the mighty river Brahmaputra, located in the district of Sonitpur, Assam. Declared as a reserved forest in the year 1974,the sanctuary covers an area of around 44.06 sq.kms and abounds in natural vegetation cover.But ,even protected areas need constant vigilance to keep the floral and fauna treasure secure. It is an ideal place for all those who want to spend their time far away from the hustle and bustle of the city life. The beautiful hills of the Himalaya mountain ranges along with the fast flowing water of the Brahmaputra river lends the place an enchanting ambience. Wildlife at Bura-Chapori Wildlife Sanctuary! The place is very rich in natural vegetation cover and comprises of various species of plants & trees that are hard to find somewhere else.The peculiarity of the area and its wetlands attract rare and endangered migratory birds to thrill the ornithologist and birdwatchers.

The sanctuary also offers shelters to a wide array of animals like the Royal bengal Tigers, Wild Boar, Civet Cat, Asiatic Buffalo, Barking Deer, Leopard Cat, Otter and many more that add to the charm of the natural milieu. . Bura-Chapori Wildlife Sanctuary also houses an excellent collection of insects, reptiles and fishes. One can also find here the famous Bengal Florican, Ferruginous Duck , White eyed Pochard , Millard , Spot Bill and Large Whistling Teal along with several other migratory birds.It had been and continues to be an ideal habitat for famous rhinoceros,even though the rhino population unfornately wiped off. As per latest census,the forest authorities claimed of having 7 nos of Royal Bengal Tigers in the forest.The wildlife reserve lies on the northern bank of the turbulent Brahmaputra River in Sonitpur District. The sanctuary’s panoramic beauty cannot be expounded by mere words.

The landscape is a quixotic medley of the Himalayan Mountains of Arunachal Pradesh as well as the undulating, green-carpeted valleys laced by the rippling cascades of hilly springs and rivulets as well as the torrential flow of the mighty Brahmaputra river.In floral species,the forest is mostly covered with different species of trees like Ajar,Hijal, Simul, Koroi (Albizzia),Sisso (Dalbergia)etc. The Bura-Chapori Wildlife Sanctuary is an idyllic paradise for the Bengal Florican as well as other varieties of migratory birds. The sanctuary is a coveted haunt of bird lovers who sit in the wilderness and watch the colorful and disciplined birds go about their daily lives as the hours while away.Bura-Chapori Wildlife Sanctuary provides the much-needed freshness to city slickers residing in a raucous concrete jungle. The lush landscape quivering in the dancing breeze in the brass sky as a handful of dark specks wheeled round and round and twittering merrily and narrating their own tale are a sight to behold. .The cattle camps in the forest : A problems for the animals. Bura Chapori, facing the mighty river Brahmaputra has the highest cattle camps.Talking to the Ranger of the Forest, Mr Ramen Das informed that the range office is trying their best to make it equivalent to Kaziranga National Park to attract more and more tourists.But according to them they are facing a lots of problems to make it suitable for tourist attraction.

The cattle camps in the mid forest has largely affected the Bengal Florican and Wild Buffaloes (Asiatic) The Bengal Florican, Houbaropsis bengalensis, the only member of the genus Houbaropsis. It has two disjunct populations, one in the Indian subcontinent, another in South East Asia. The former occurs from Uttar Pradesh, India, through the terai of Nepal, to Assam (where it is called Ulu Mora) and Arunachal Pradesh, India, and historically to Bangladesh. The South East Asian population occurs in Cambodia and adjacent southern Vietnam.The population is declining dramatically and only survives in small, highly fragmented populations (220-280 birds in India and up to 100 in Nepal). Consequently, it is uplisted from Endangered to Critically Endangered status in the 2007.

A wide range of grassland is the habitat of Bengal Florican.But due to the movement of cattles in the forest ,destroyed the eggs as a consequence,the population of this endangered species is declining. day by day. The forest authorities have approach the administration several times to come forward to protect the endangered species. Another problem is human sttlement in the river bank and in the forest have effected the free movement of wild animals like Tigers, Leopards,Buffaloes,Elephants .Now one can hardly get a view of Rhino in Bura Chapori because it has been migrated to Orang Wildlife Sanctuary or Kaziranga National Park.The people of nearby villages and the people of Sandbanks (Char) is destroying the beauty of Bura Chapori. The domestic cattles gazes around the forest which consumes grasses and leaves..

So for this the animals like wild buffaloes (Asiatic) and some birds are suffering from food shortage.These animals have migrated from the forest to nearby areas in search of their food stuff. The wild fruits are stolen from the forest by the nearby villagers.And this have largely affected the Monkeys & Squirrels.So the environmentalists ,WIildlife forums should come forward to protect the animals as well as the forest. The forest authorities is now planing to make a suitable spot for the tourists both foreign and domestic.

Most of the people are not aware of that sandbank which is very suitable to enjoy picnic. The nearest airpost to the wild sanctuary is Tezpur,which is only 50 Km and to reach this tourist destination by road it is about only 40km far from Nagaon Town.