Umphang Wildlife Sanctuary ( th, เขตรักษาพันธุ์สัตว์ป่าอุ้มผาง) is a
wildlife sanctuary in Thailand site in the
Umphang District
Umphang ( th, อุ้มผาง, ) is the southernmost district (''amphoe'') of Tak province, Thailand, established by the Royal Decree Establishing Amphoe Umphang, BE 2502 (1959), which came into force on 6 May 1959.
The district is on the ...
of
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, ...
, northwestern Thailand. It was announced as a protected sanctuary in 1989.
It is considered part of the
Western Forest Complex
The Western Forest Complex, straddling two countries, Thailand and Myanmar, including 19 national parks and wildlife sanctuaries, is the main biodiversity conservation corridor of the region. Covering 18,730 km2, it is one of the largest pro ...
. Places adjacent to Umphang Wildlife Sanctuary are (from the north clockwise):
Myanmar
Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John C. Wells, Joh ...
, Mokro and
Phop Phra District in Tak Province,
Khlong Wang Chao National Park
Khlong Wang Chao National Park (Thai คลองวังเจ้า) is a national park in Thailand.
Description
Khlong Wang Chao National Park is situated in the Thanon Thong Chai Mountain Range.
Most of the area consists of complicated moun ...
,
Khlong Lan National Park
Khlong Lan National Park (Thai อุทยานแห่งชาติคลองลาน) is a national park in Thailand.
Description
Khlong Lan National Park is situated in the Dawna Mountain Range.
This park lies in Khlong Lan and Mu ...
,
Mae Wong National Park
Mae Wong National Park (Thai: อุทยานแห่งชาติแม่วงก์) is a national park in Thailand. This park lies in Mae Wong and Mae Poen Districts of Nakhon Sawan Province and Pang Sila Thong District of Kamphaen ...
, and
Thung Yai 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 ...
.
[
With an abundance of forests, this makes it the watershed of the ]Mae Klong River
The Mae Klong (, , ), sometimes spelled Mae Khlong or Meklong, is a river in western Thailand. The river begins at the confluence of the Khwae Noi (Khwae Sai Yok) and the Khwae Yai River (Khwae Si Sawat) in Kanchanaburi, it passes Ratchaburi ...
(as well as Khwae Yai River
The Khwae Yai River ( th, แม่น้ำแควใหญ่, , ), also known as the Si Sawat ( ), is a river in western Thailand. It has its source in the Tenasserim Hills and flows for about through Sangkhla Buri, Si Sawat, and Mueang ...
) that flows south to the provinces of Kanchanaburi
Kanchanaburi ( th, กาญจนบุรี, ) is a town municipality (''thesaban mueang'') in the west of Thailand and part of Kanchanaburi Province. In 2006 it had a population of 31,327. That number was reduced to 25,651 in 2017. The town ...
, Ratchaburi
Ratchaburi ( th, ราชบุรี, ) or Rajburi, Rat Buri) is a town (''thesaban mueang'') in western Thailand, capital of Ratchaburi Province.
Ratchaburi town covers the entire ''tambon'' Na Mueang (หน้าเมือง) of Mueang ...
and Samut Songkram.[
Most of the area is mountaineous, so the weather is rather cold and becomes really cold from November to February. It is made up of ]tropical rain forest
Tropical rainforests are rainforests that occur in areas of tropical rainforest climate in which there is no dry season – all months have an average precipitation of at least 60 mm – and may also be referred to as ''lowland equatori ...
and deciduous forest
In the fields of horticulture and Botany, the term ''deciduous'' () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, aft ...
at a height of 80–2,152 meters (262–7,060 ft) above mean sea level.
Frequently spotted fauna, for example, clouded leopard
The clouded leopard (''Neofelis nebulosa''), also called the mainland clouded leopard, is a wild cat inhabiting dense forests from the foothills of the Himalayas through mainland Southeast Asia into South China. In the early 19th century, a cl ...
, Malayan tapir
The Malayan tapir (''Tapirus indicus''), also called Asian tapir, Asiatic tapir and Indian tapir, is the only tapir species native to Southeast Asia from the Malay Peninsula to Sumatra. It has been listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List since ...
, mainland serow
The mainland serow (''Capricornis sumatraensis'') is a serow species native to the Himalayas, Southeast Asia and China.
The mainland serow is related closely to the red serow, Himalayan serow, Sumatran serow, and the Chinese serow (''C. milneedw ...
, falcon
Falcons () are birds of prey in the genus ''Falco'', which includes about 40 species. Falcons are widely distributed on all continents of the world except Antarctica, though closely related raptors did occur there in the Eocene.
Adult falcons ...
, wreathed hornbill
The wreathed hornbill (''Rhyticeros undulatus'') is an Old World tropical bird of the hornbill family Bucerotidae, also called bar-pouched wreathed hornbill due to its distinctive blue-black band on its lower throat sac. It is named after its cha ...
, great hornbill
The great hornbill (''Buceros bicornis''), also known as the concave-casqued hornbill, great Indian hornbill or great pied hornbill, is one of the larger members of the hornbill family. It occurs in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. It ...
, Oriental darter
The Oriental darter (''Anhinga melanogaster'') is a water bird of tropical South Asia and Southeast Asia. It has a long and slender neck with a straight, pointed bill and, like the cormorant, it hunts for fish while its body is submerged in water ...
, 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, including ...
, Indian elephant
The Indian elephant (''Elephas maximus indicus'') is one of four extant recognised subspecies of the Asian elephant and native to mainland Asia.
Since 1986, the Asian elephant has been listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List as the wild po ...
, silvery lutung
The silvery lutung (''Trachypithecus cristatus''), also known as the silvered leaf monkey or the silvery langur, is an Old World monkey. It is arboreal, living in coastal, mangrove, and riverine forests in Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, and Borne ...
, northern pig-tailed macaque
The northern pig-tailed macaque (''Macaca leonina'') is a vulnerable species of macaque in the subfamily Cercopithecidae. It is found in Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam. Traditionally, ''M. leonina'' w ...
, include species of reptiles and amphibians, such as impressed tortoise
The impressed tortoise (''Manouria impressa'') occurs in mountainous forest areas in Southeast Asia, mainly in Myanmar Burma, southern China, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia and Northeast India. The species has a golden brown shell an ...
, Asian forest tortoise
The Asian forest tortoise (''Manouria emys''), also known commonly as the Mountain tortoise, is a species of tortoise in the family Testudinidae. The species is endemic to Southeast Asia. It is believed to be among the most primitive of living ...
, elongated tortoise
The elongated tortoise (''Indotestudo elongata'') is a species of tortoise found in Southeast Asia and parts of South Asia.
Description
Shell considerably depressed, more than twice as long as deep, with flat vertebral region; anterior and post ...
, Burmese python
The Burmese python (''Python bivittatus'') is one of the largest species of snakes. It is native to a large area of Southeast Asia and is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. Until 2009, it was considered a subspecies of the Indian python ...
, reticulated python
The reticulated python (''Malayopython reticulatus'') is a python species native to South and Southeast Asia. It is the world's longest snake, and is among the three heaviest. It is listed as least concern on the IUCN Red List because of its wi ...
, as well as an endangered species, Blyth's river frog
Blyth's river frog (''Limnonectes blythii''), also known as Blyth's frog, giant Asian river frog or (ambiguously) giant frog, is a species of frog in the family Dicroglossidae found from Myanmar through western Thailand and the Malay Peninsula (M ...
.Karen language
The Karen () or Karenic languages are tonal languages spoken by some seven million Karen people. They are of unclear affiliation within the Sino-Tibetan languages. The Karen languages are written using the Karen script. The three main branches ...
. There are multiple falls, streams and pools to bathe in and whilst the most spectacular time to visit is between July and November, water flows throughout the year. It is located about 3 km (1 mi) from the wildlife sanctuary office.
Apart from Thi Lo Su, Umphang Wildlife Sanctuary also consists of other waterfalls were Pi Tu Kro (heart-shaped waterfall and highest waterfall in Thailand), and Thi Lo Re that lies on its boundary with Thung Yai Naresuan.
References
External links
Um Phang Wildlife Sanctuary
{{Wildlife sanctuaries of Thailand
Wildlife sanctuaries of Thailand
Geography of Tak province
Protected areas established in 1989
1989 establishments in Thailand
Dawna Range
Tourist attractions in Tak province