Dehing Patkai also known as the Jeypore Rainforest is a wildlife sanctuary that covers part of both Dibrugarh and Tinsukia districts if Assam. The forest is rich in biodiversity and covers an area of 111.19 Sq. Kms. This rare rain-forest of India is situated in the foot hill of Himalayan range of Arunachal Pradesh. Dehing is the river flows through this forest and Patkai is the name of the hill on the foot of which it lies. The Dehing-Patkai was declared as a Wildlife Sanctuary in 2004. It includes parts of Upper Dehing West reserve forest, Dirok rainforest and part of Jeypore.
Flora and Fauna of Dehing Patkai Sanctuary
The Dehing Patkai Sanctuary is a part of the Dehing-Patkai Elephant Reserve that houses the World War II cemeteries nearby along with the Stillwell Road and the oldest refinery of Asia in Digboi and `open cast` coal mining at Lido. The forest provides shelter to about 40 species of mammals and nearly 38 family groups of western hoolock gibbon. Dehing-Patkai Sanctuary is a haven for the wild-cats. There are seven wild cat species that found in the rain forest which includes Tiger, Leopard, Clouded Leopard, Leopard Cat, Golden Cat, Jungle Cat and Marbled Cat. It is the only forest in the world having seven different species of wild cat. Apart from these the forest also houses primates. Out of fifteen species of non-human primates found in India, seven inhabit in this rainforest. These include Rhesus macaque, Assamese macaque, Slow loris, Capped langur, Pigtailed macaque, Stumptailed macaque and Hoolock gibbon. It is home to several other mammals like Chinese pangolin, Flying fox, Slow loris, Stump-tailed macaque, Assamese macaque, Rhesus macaque, Capped langur, Hoolock gibbon, Himalayan black bear, Hog badger, Jungle cat, Fishing cat, Clouded leopard, Wild pig, Sambar, Barking deer, Gaur, Serow, Malayan giant squirrels, Porcupine, Pig-tailed macaque etc.
The Dehing Patkai Sanctuary provides shelter to different species of birds like Lesser Adjutant Stork, White Winged Wood duck, White-backed Vulture, Slender-billed Vulture, White cheeked Hill Partridge, Khaleej Pheasant, Grey Peacock-Pheasant, Rufus necked Hornbill, Wreathed Hornbill, Great Pied Hornbill, Beautiful Nuthatch, Black-browed Leaf Wabler, Green Imperial Pigeon, Purple wood or Pale capped Pigeon etc. The forest also houses reptiles like Rock python, King cobra, Asian leaf turtle, Monitor Lizard and others.
According to the biodiversity record about 46 species of mammals, 283 species of birds, 276 species of butterflies, 70 species of fhish, 71 species of reptiles, 70 species of dragon flies are found here.
Many exotic species of orchids are found in the region. There is an abundance of ferms, epiphytes, Wild Banana, orchids, Arums, climbers and linas in this humid forest forest habitat. Some of the importance tree species found in this forest area are Hollang, Mekai, Dhuna, Udiyam, Nahar, Samkothal, Bheer, Hollock, Nahor, Elephant apple, different species of Dimoru etc.
