Singalila National Park, Darjeeling – Fauna

Singalila National Park, Darjeeling – Fauna

The mammals found in the national park are Himalayan black bear, Indian leopard, clouded leopard, black leopard, Himalayan serow, takin red panda, leopard cat, golden cat, barking deer, Bhutan flying squirrel, Himalayan palm civet, yellow-throated marten, wild boar, pangolin, and pika. The endangered Red Panda is the crown jewel of this national park. Visitors can see Red Pandas in their natural habitat by trekking along the various mountain trails, particularly along the route to Sandakphu and Phalut. Tigers occasionally wander into the area, but do not have a large enough prey base to make residence in these forests feasible.

The national park is home to more than 350 species of birds. Some of the prominent birds found in the park are Himalayan vulture, scarlet minivet, kalij pheasant, blood pheasant, satyr tragopan, great parrotbill, black-throated parrotbill, brown parrotbill, fulvous parrotbill, rufous-vented tit, fire-tailed myzornis, hill partridge, yuhina, rosefinch, and golden-breasted fulvetta. The park is also on the flyway of many migratory birds. The endangered Himalayan Newt frequents the region, and congregates around the lakes of Jore Pokhri, Sukhia Pokhri and nearby lakes to reproduce. Jore Pokhri and Sukhia Pokhri are within 20 km of the park boundary and are protected wildlife sanctuaries.