The Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary ( th, เขตรักษาพันธุ์สัตว์ป่าห้วยขาแข้ง, ) is in

Uthai Thani Uthai Thani ( th, อุทัยธานี, ) is a town (''thesaban mueang'') in Thailand, capital of the Uthai Thani Province, in the upper central region of the country. It includes the entire ''tambon'' Uthai Mai of Mueang Uthai Thani distr ...

and

Tak Province Tak ( th, ตาก, , Burmese: တာ့ခ် pronounced ak is one of Thailand's seventy-seven provinces (''changwat'') and lies in lower northern Thailand. Neighbouring provinces are (from north clockwise) Mae Hong Son, Chiang Mai, Lamphun, ...

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

. The park was established in 1974, and is part of the largest intact

seasonal tropical forest Seasonal tropical forest, also known as moist deciduous, semi-evergreen seasonal, tropical mixed or monsoon forests, typically contain a range of tree species: only some of which drop some or all of their leaves during the dry season. This tropic ...

complex in

Mainland Southeast Asia Mainland Southeast Asia, also known as the Indochinese Peninsula or Indochina, is the continental portion of Southeast Asia. It lies east of the Indian subcontinent and south of Mainland China and is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the west an ...

. It, coupled with the

Thungyai Naresuan Wildlife Sanctuary The Thung Yai Naresuan Wildlife Sanctuary ( th, เขตรักษาพันธุ์สัตว์ป่าทุ่งใหญ่นเรศวร, ) is a protected area in Thailand in the northern part of Kanchanaburi Province and the ...

was declared a

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

by the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

in 1991. Together, the two sanctuaries occupy 622,200

hectare The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100-metre sides (1 hm2), or 10,000 m2, and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. An acre is a ...

s. it still contained viable populations of large mammals, including gibbons, bears, elephants and

Indochinese tiger The Indochinese tiger is a population of the '' Panthera tigris tigris'' subspecies that is native to Southeast Asia. This population occurs in Myanmar, Thailand, and Laos. In 2011, the population was thought to comprise 342 individuals, includin ...

s, although like all other sites in mainland Southeast Asia, some species (e.g., rhinoceroses) have disappeared or have experienced severe declines.

History

After the establishment of the wildlife sanctuary on 4 September 1972, it covered an area of 1,019,375

rai RAI – Radiotelevisione italiana (; commercially styled as Rai since 2000; known until 1954 as Radio Audizioni Italiane) is the national public broadcasting company of Italy, owned by the Ministry of Economy and Finance. RAI operates many ter ...

~ . The wildlife sanctuary was then expanded twice, first on 21 May 1986 to 1,609,150 rai ~ , an increase of 589,775 rai ~ and on 30 December 1992 to 1,737,587 rai ~ an increase of 718,212 rai ~ . Until 1976 there were

Karen Karen may refer to: * Karen (name), a given name and surname * Karen (slang), a term and meme for a demanding woman displaying certain behaviors People * Karen people, an ethnic group in Myanmar and Thailand ** Karen languages or Karenic l ...

villages within the wildlife sanctuary. Today the wildlife sanctuary no longer has any known human population living in the area. Some Karen villages were moved in 1976 from the southernmost area to Ban Rai District to the southeast. A

Hmong Hmong may refer to: * Hmong people, an ethnic group living mainly in Southwest China, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand * Hmong cuisine * Hmong customs and culture ** Hmong music ** Hmong textile art * Hmong language, a continuum of closely related to ...

village in the west was moved after 1986.

Wildlife

A large number of the animal and plant life diversity can be found nowhere else, with species such as the Sino-Himalayan, Indo-Burmese, Sundaic, and Indo-Chinese affinities, living in the wildlife sanctuary. Species present at the wildlife sanctuary are usually rare, endangered, or local. Roughly one-third of Southeast Asia's mammals are said to be thriving within the wildlife sanctuary. The wildlife sanctuary is responsible for three of the National Reserved Wildlife Species of Thailand: wild water buffalo (''

Bubalus arnee The wild water buffalo (''Bubalus arnee''), also called Asian buffalo, Asiatic buffalo and wild buffalo, is a large bovine native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. It has been listed as ''Endangered'' in the IUCN Red List since 198 ...

''), mainland serow ('' Capricornis sumatraensis''), and Indian hog deer (''

Hyelaphus porcinus ''Axis'' is a genus of deer occurring in South and Southeast Asia. As presently defined by most authorities, four species are placed in the genus. Three of the four species are called hog deer. The genus name is a word mentioned in Pliny the Eld ...

''). Many species of birds, reptiles, and amphibians have also been reported. Sighting of 355 bird species have been recorded in the wildlife sanctuary, a lot of these species are now rare in Thailand and some are considered endangered. There are currently 90 wild

s within the sanctuary.

Visitor and scientific research facilities

The wildlife sanctuary receives most visitors during the summer or the "dry season". Some sections of the sanctuary are not open to the public without permission. The Conservation Office in

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estima ...

and the chief of Huai Kha Khaeng are responsible for granting permission to those who wish to visit prohibited areas.

References

External links

*Royal Gazette publications on Huai Kha Khaeng (Thai) *
Issue 89 chapter 132 of September 4 1972
*
Issue 103 chapter 87 of May 21 1986
*
Issue 109 chapter 126 of December 30 1992
{{Authority control World Heritage Sites in Thailand Wildlife sanctuaries of Thailand Geography of Kanchanaburi province Geography of Tak province Geography of Uthai Thani province Protected areas established in 1972 1972 establishments in Thailand Dawna Range