SINGALILA NATIONAL PARK

The singalila national park is the highest protected area in West Bengal.

A zoo in the picturesque Darjeeling Hills started an ambitious program to augment the wild red panda population.

The red pandas (Ailurus fulgens ) will be released into forests by the Padmaja Naidu Himalayan zoological park.
Red pandas are categorized as endangered species as per the IUCN Red List of threatened species.
Red pandas are shy, solitary and arboreal animals and are considered an indicator species for ecological change.
In Singalila and Neora protected areas, there are 38 and 32 red pandas respectively.
With the birth of a couple of cubs, the population of red pandas at Darjeeling zoo increased to 27.
In 2021, 2pairs of red pandas were released in the Singalila park, of which 2 died and 2 survived.

Location:

Singalila park is a reserved forest area located at Singalila ridge in the Darjeeling district.
This is high altitude park spanning between 7,900-12,000 feet covering an area of 78.6 sq km., the highest altitude park in West Bengal.
It was initially a wildlife sanctuary and later made into a national park in 1992.

Ranges:

Singalila ridge is covered with thick bamboo, oak and rhododendron forest.
The southern range starts shortly after the Manebhanjan and extends through Tonglu, Tumling, Gairibas, Kalipokhri, Bikheybhanjan, and Sandakphu(11,909 ft) and Phalut(11,811 ft).
The northern range of Singalila is accessible through Rimbik.
To the north of the national park is Sikkim and to its west is Nepal.

Plantations:

The forest area is full of oaks, ferns, silver firs, bamboo and flowering plants like rhododendrons, a wide range of orchids, magnolias, primula and other flowering plants.
There are over 600 varieties of orchids blooming in Singalila.

Wildlife:

Singalila national park has some of the rarest and most exotic animal life.
Red pandas are found here which are shy, herbivores who are fond of bamboo leaves and fruits.
Barking deer that look like small deer with short horns but bark like dogs, fearless yellow-throated martens that look like large cats, the long-tailed Pangolins that roll up the trees, and wild boars are some of the animals observed in this national park.
Rare lizard-like amphibians Himalayan Newt is also found here.
Exotic large animals like Himalayan black bears, clouded leopards, and occasionally tigers are also seen.

Birdwatching:

There are over 350 species of birds recorded in Singalila National Park and that includes 5 globally threatened species.
Indo-Burma species and high-altitude birds are observed here.
Some of the exotic species include Satyr Tragopan(rare, near threatened), Long Tail Minivet, Blood Pheasant, Black-Throated and Brown Parrotbill, Robins of many types, Cuckoo, Slender Billed Babbler, Fire-Tailed Myzornis, several different types of Vultures including few critically endangered ones such as Indian Vultures and Slender Bill Vultures.
One of the best places for bird watching is between Singalila Park entrance and Gairibas, near a place called Batasi.

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