Siju Wildlife Sanctuary is situated in the
South Garo Hills district
South Garo Hills is an administrative district in the state of Meghalaya in India. As of 2011 it is the least populous district of Meghalaya (out of 7). The district was established in 1992.
Geography
The district headquarters are located at ...
of
Meghalaya
Meghalaya (, or , meaning "abode of clouds"; from Sanskrit , "cloud" + , "abode") is a state in northeastern India. Meghalaya was formed on 21 January 1972 by carving out two districts from the state of Assam: (a) the United Khasi Hills and J ...
, India. It is the first and oldest wildlife sanctuary in Meghalaya.
It is also known as Siju Bird Sanctuary as it is a home for many rare and protected birds such as the
Grey Hornbill. Other migratory birds such as Siberian ducks and
spoonbills
Spoonbills are a genus, ''Platalea'', of large, long-legged wading birds. The spoonbills have a global distribution, being found on every continent except Antarctica. The genus name ''Platalea'' derives from Ancient Greek and means "broad", re ...
are also sighted here.
Location
Situated in the South Garo Hills, Siju Wildlife Sanctuary is the oldest Wildlife Sanctuary in the state of Meghalaya.
It is located at a distance of about 450 km away from
Shillong
Shillong () is a hill station and the capital of Meghalaya, a state in northeastern India, which means "The Abode of Clouds". It is the headquarters of the East Khasi Hills district. Shillong is the 330th most populous city in India with a ...
.
Wildlife
Siju Wildlife Sanctuary is home to many endemic and rare flora and fauna. Many animal species such as elephants,
Sambar deer, wild boars, leopards, tigers, barking deer, etc., and migratory birds, namely
Grey Hornbills, spoonbills, and Siberian ducks are sighted here. Other primates such as the
slow loris
Slow lorises are a group of several species of nocturnal strepsirrhine primates that make up the genus ''Nycticebus''. Found in Southeast Asia and bordering areas, they range from Bangladesh and Northeast India in the west to the Sulu Archip ...
,
Hoolock gibbon
The hoolock gibbons are three primate species of genus ''Hoolock'' in the gibbon family, Hylobatidae, native to eastern Bangladesh, Northeast India, Myanmar, and Southwest China.
Description
Hoolocks are the second-largest of the gibbons, after ...
, and langurs are also found there.
Peacock-pheasant
The peacock-pheasants are a bird genus, ''Polyplectron'', of the family Phasianidae, consisting of eight species. They are colored inconspicuously, relying on heavily on crypsis to avoid detection. When threatened, peacock-pheasants will alter ...
also inhabit Siju Wildlife Sanctuary.
References
{{coord, 25, 20, 16, N, 90, 41, 11, E, type:landmark_region:IN_dim:3000, display=title
Wildlife sanctuaries in Meghalaya
South Garo Hills district
Year of establishment missing