Mizoram Wildlife Sanctuaries

Conservation efforts have led the Mizoram Government to set up quite a few wildlife sanctuaries in the state, the oldest as well as the largest of them being the one at Dampa in Aizawl district. The Dampa Sanctuary, set up in 1976, covers an overall area of 681 sq.km. Quite a number of important varieties of the wildlife like the Elephant, Tiger, Leopard, Bear, Deer, Sambar, Serow and wild Pig are enjoying sanctuary protection at Dampa.

Three other smaller sanctuaries have been set up at Ngengpui (110 Sq.Km), Phawngpui (60 Sq.Km) and Tawi (60 Sq.Km.). Murlen and Palak Lake area in Chhimtuipui district have been selected for creating two more protected wildlife habitats. The Palak Lake area is popularly known as the heaven on earth not only for its natural beauty but also because it is home to a wide range of beautiful butterflies and moths.

FAUNA
Important species of mammals, found in Mizoram are Tigers, Leopards, Elephants, Malayan Sun Bear, Himalayan Black Bear, Small toothed Civet, Clawless Otter, Serow, Wild Bear, Slow Loris, Hoolock Gibbon, Assamese Macaque, Capped Langur, Chinese Pangolin, Brush- tailed Porcupine, Himalayan Crested Porcupine, Crab-eating

Mongoose and Barking Deer. Some of these including the Capped Langur, have become scarce.
Mizoram is home to a large family of birds and an even larger family of insects. Birds of some species - such as Hume \s Bartailed Pheasant, Peacock Pheasant, Great Pied Hornbill, Indian Pied Hornbill, Rufus necked Hornbill, Kalij Pheasant, Whistling Teal, Red breasted Parakeet, Indian Parakeet, Large Hawk Cuckoo, Crow Pheasant and Forest Eagle come under the endangered category.
Attempts are being made to save these from extinction. However, it may be said that Owl, Pheasant, Partridge, Hawk, Eagle, Egret, Heron, Cuckoo and Bulbul are the important birds of Mizoram. Moths and butterflies of various species are found in the hills of Mizoram of which the most common are : Indian Cabbage White, Common Sailor, Common Rose, Yellow Orange Tip, Yellow Jezebel, Red Spot Jezebel, Chocolate Albatross and Lemon Pansy.

FLORA
Mizoram, being a thickly wooded state, has a very wide range of floral species many of which still remain to be identified. As no systematic studies have yet been made, knowledge of the state's vast floral resources remain far from complete.

According to information gathered from occasional visits by botanists, the Himalayan Maple is one of the most important trees in Mizoram. Some of the other floral species common in Mizoram arc : Salmali, Duabanga, Chalmoogra, Champa, Sal, Teak, Bel, Jackfruit, Carat, Banyan, Gamari, Jungle neem, Rohini, Mulberry, Gila nut, Oak and Pine. Besides, the hills of Mizoram abound in various species of shrubs which grow in different "ecological niches"

All said, bamboo is perhaps the most important floral group in Mizoram. The abundance of bamboo growing luxuriantly in the western and southern parts of the hills in particular has made Mizoram known as the land where bamboos flower. Several species of canes too are found in the state.

ORCHIDS
Orchids of various hues and shapes add a charming touch of colour to the landscape of Mizoram. The temperate evergreen forests are large storehouses of orchids, of which over 150 species have so far been identified. The orchids grow most abundantly on the trunks of tall trees as well as in steep ravines.

The beauty of many orchids of Mizoram is beyond compare. They are the gardener's delight. But the interference of human economic activities has put the existence of many of them under serious threat. The Botanical Survey of India as well as the state Forest Department, Govt. of Mizoram, have taken some steps to protect the rare and endangered orchids of Mizoram.
The orchids are of two kinds - Epiphytic and Terrestrial. The epiphytic orchids in Mizoram far exceeds in number the terrestrial type. 'Jewel orchid' (Anoectochilus) is one of the many orchids gradually becoming rare in the state. Some of the common orchids of Mizoram are Bulbophyllum, Cymbidium, Dendrobium, Eria, Liparis, Pholidote, Saccolabium and Vanda species.