Borail Wildlife Sanctuary, Assam

Borail Wildlife Sanctuary, Assam

Borail Wildlife Sanctuary is a wildlife sanctuary located in Cachar District of Assam, India. It is located in the North Cachar Reserve Forest and Borail Reserve Forest. It is one of the largest sanctuaries in Assam. The forest of this sanctuary is located on the highest altitude among all the forests of Assam.

History

Borail Wildlife Sanctuary comprises of Borail Reserve Forest and North Cachar Reserve Forest. It was established in June 2004. The Borail Wildlife Sanctuary is under the administrative control of the Southern Assam Forest Circle, Silchar, and consists of Borail Reserve Forest, which is part of the Cachar Forest Division (East Block) and North Cachar Reserve Forest, part of the Karimgunj Forest Division (West Block).

The Wildlife Sanctuary

The sanctuary consists of the North Cachar Reserved Forest and Borail Reserved Forest. The sanctuary covers an area of about 326.24 km2. The sanctuary is characterized by undulating hills having altitudinal range of less than 30 to more than 1867 meters. The major rivers flowing through the sanctuary are Jatinga, Daloo, Kayong, Gumra and Boleswar. The best time to visit this sanctuary is between the months of October and March. The sanctuary is also a good destination for trekkers.

Flora:

The sanctuary comprises of moist tropical evergreen and semi-evergreen forests. The sanctuary is home to more than 112 species of trees and 23 species of lianas. Trees, shrubs, and lianas species form a thick vegetation of the sanctuary. The forest floor is enriched by many herbaceous species. The main secondary landscape elements are grasslands, cultivated flatland, extensive bamboo brakes, tree plantations (Teak and Sal), secondary and disturbed forest (betel-vine plantation), and village gardens including Areca nut plantations.

The sanctuary is also home to various species of orchids due to the ideal climate condition and suitable geographical location. The sanctuary is home to few unique species of flora endemic to north east India. They are Ornithochilus cacharensis (an epiphytic orchid species), Larsenianthus assamensis (a terrestrial zingiber species), Diospyros cacharensis (a small deciduous tree belonging to the family Ebenaceae) and Alseodaphne keenanii (a large tree belonging to the family Lauraceae).

Fauna:

The mammals found in the sanctuary are Chinese pangolin, slow loris, hoolock gibbon, capped langur, Assamese macaque, pig-tailed macaque, stump-tailed macaque, rhesus monkey, Himalayan black bear, Malayan sun bear, flying fox, fishing cat, marbled cat, leopard cat, jungle cat, golden cat, clouded leopard, barking deer, sambar, hog badger, yellow throated marten, giant squirrel, porcupine, red serow and wild pig. The reptiles found in the sanctuary are Burmese rock python, Brown hill tortoise, Asian leaf turtle, Red snake, Green Pit viper, Monitor Lizard and King cobra. The sanctuary is home to more than 300 species of birds.

The birds found in the sanctuary are Blue-throated Barbet, Bay Woodpecker, Pale-headed Woodpecker, Pied Falconet, Maroon Oriole, Slender-billed Oriole, Short-billed Minivet, Black-winged Cuckooshrike, Grey Treepie, Yellow-vented Warbler, White-naped Yuhina, Brown-capped Laughingthrush, Striped Laughingthrush, Beautiful Sibia, Grey Sibia, Lesser adjutant stork, White-backed vulture, Slender-billed vulture, Mountain bamboo partridge, Rufous-throated hill partridge, White-cheeked hill partridge, Grey peacock pheasant, Khaleej pheasant, Great pied hornbill, Swamp Francolin, Oriental pied hornbill, Rufous-necked hornbill, Wreathed hornbill, White-winged duck, and Austen's brown hornbill.

Barak River Safari

This river safari is one of the unique activities to be done by the tourists visiting this sanctuary. The safari takes tourists on a boat ride along the Barak River. The boat ride offers breathtaking views of the lush green forest and diverse wildlife of the sanctuary. The safari includes a guided nature walk through the dense forests of the sanctuary. The safari also includes a picnic lunch along the riverbank.

Contact

D. F. O., Karimganj Division

Phone: +91 3843 273 455

Range Forest Officer, Kalain

Phone: +91 3845 283 535

D. F.O., Cachar Division

Phone: +91 3842 226 2647 / 224 5648

Range Forest Officer, Udharband

Phone: +91 3842 228 1472

Connectivity

The sanctuary is located at about 23 Kms from Moinarband Railway Station, 26 Kms from Silchar Airport, 29 Kms from Silchar Railway Station, 33 Kms from Silchar, 85 Kms from Karimganj, and 274 Kms from Imphal. The sanctuary is situated at about 33 Kms to the north of Silchar on the Karimganj to Imphal route.

Location