Thrumshingla National Park
The
newest national park of Bhutan, ThrumshingLa National Park gained this status
in July 1998. Sprawling across 768 sq km, it is situated in central Bhutan.
Like all protected areas of Bhutan, it presents diverse climatic conditions,
habitats and altitudes that range from less than 1000 m to more than 4000 m.
This unique protected area presents vast biodiversity that includes alpine
forests, subtropical broadleaf forests and even rare plants. You may spot snow
leopards, red pandas and tigers prowling around in this National Park. It was
in this Park that an image of a tiger was captured at 3000 m by a WWF-supported
survey team in 2000. This photograph was the first evidence proving that tigers
do exist at such high altitudes too.
Birdwatchers and ornithologists will find a lot of bird species to catch their
attention and interest. There are about 341 species of birds here including the
endangered rufous-necked hornbill, beautiful nuthatch, ward's trogon,
white-naped yuhina and brown wood owl. Birdlife International has recognized
Thrumshingla National Park as an important Bird Area in the Sino-Himalayan
mountain forests. WWF supports the upkeep of the park to ensure that it has an
effective management plan and dedicated Park staff that can keep the pristine
ecosystem here intact for generations to come. The park has over 622 species
thriving here quite well. Out of it, 21 species are endemic to this National
park and region.
Over 68 species of mammals have been recorded in this wildlife sanctuary
including Bengal tiger, leopard, leopard cat, rare clouded leopard, Himalayan
black bear, red panda, musk deer, capped langur and Malayan giant squirrel.
Tourists and trekkers are attracted to Thrumshingla National Park for trekking,
chiefly because of its picture perfect scenery and it being one of the few natural
habitats of the world. Communities living within the confines of this Park earn
their livelihood from the tourism here. It is estimated that there are about
2000 people living within the park while 11000 people are estimated to live in
its buffer zone. Overgrazing and human interference have evolved as a serious
threat to the forests of the Park in the present scenario.
