A massive fire broke at Raimona National Park, and the forest department suspects it might have begun around March 15th, 2024. The fire began in the Sanfan range and Central range areas within the Kachugaon forest division of Raimona National Park. As time goes on, the fire is spreading to different areas raising concerns about controlling it.
Forest Divisional Officer Bhanu Sinha is leading efforts to control the fire. Some progress has been made, but there’s still a chance it could get worse, so everyone is being extra careful. Some progress has been made in dealing with the situation, but there’s still a chance it could get worse, so forest personnel are being extra careful
The forest department is trying to figure out what caused the fire. They suspect it might be natural factors that triggered the fire, but they’re also looking into whether smugglers could be involved.
This shows how vulnerable forests are to disasters like this. It’s really important to respond quickly and effectively to stop them from getting worse.
The wildfires have destroyed much of Raimona National Park. The forest department is doing their best to prevent it from spreading further, using whatever equipment they have. Currently, the fire is under control, and no animal casualties have been reported so far.
Raimona National Park Photo: forest personnel are trying to stop fire
Raimona National Park Declaration Date
Raimona National Park was officially declared a national park on June 5th, 2021, by the Chief Minister of Assam, Himanta Biswa Sarma, during a World Environment Day ceremony held at Gandhi Mandap in Guwahati, Assam. The official designation was confirmed on June 9th, 2021, covering an area of 422 km² under Notification no. FRW.02/2021/27, dated June 8th, 2021, making it the sixth national park in Assam, India.
The park is located in the Indian state of Assam, specifically in the Kokrajhar district within the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR), which is a sixth Schedule Autonomous Council. It shares its boundaries with the Phibsoo Wildlife Sanctuary of Bhutan and the Buxa Tiger Reserve of West Bengal. The altitude of the park ranges from 85 meters to 1042 meters above sea level, and its geographical coordinates are 26.65972°N, 89.97611°E.
Raimona National Park: Tracing Its Path through Time
2003:
• Chirang-Ripu Reserve Forest, including the area now covered by Raimona National Park, was declared Chirang-Ripu Elephant Reserve covering 2600 km2.
Original Proposal:
• Raimona National Park was initially proposed as Ripu-Chirang Wildlife Sanctuary, with plans for the adjacent area to be included.
Present Status:
• Raimona National Park falls under the jurisdiction of the DFO, Kacuhgaon Forest Division, within the BTR, Kokrajhar.
• The Kacuhgaon Forest Division comprises four ranges: Eastern (Athiabari), Sanfan, Kochugaon Central, and Western (Raimona).
Raimona National Park Famous For
The park is famous for golden langur, an endemic species which is designated as the mascot of BTR.
Flora, Fauna, and Avifauna in Raimona National Park
The park is home to many different animals like Asiatic Elephants, clouded leopards, Bengal tigers, white-spotted deer, wild bison, and wild buffalo etc. It also has four to five types of hornbills, 170 kinds of birds, over 150 types of butterflies, and 380 different plants and orchids.
Flora: Raimona National Park has twelve different kinds of forests. These include very wet sal forests, semi-evergreen forests in the foothills of the Himalayas, savannah forests, mixed deciduous forests, riverbank forests, and khoir-sisoo forests.
Fauna: Raimona National Park is home to many rare animals, like the golden langur, which has a bright golden coat and lives in small groups. Other important animals found here include the Chinese pangolin, Asian elephant, wild dog, Himalayan black bear, and many others. The park also has a variety of birds, butterflies, and hornbill species.
Avifauna: Raimona forest is home to over 260 bird species, including 227 confirmed ones. Among them, 7 are globally threatened, with two critically endangered: the White-rumped vulture and the Slender-billed vulture. Five others are vulnerable, such as the Greater spotted eagle and the Great hornbill.
